


Femslash February 2019

by koralo



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, No Plot/Plotless, Rare Pairings, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-20 01:37:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 21,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koralo/pseuds/koralo
Summary: Gensokyo is a wonderful, and very gay, place to be.





	1. Opposites [Youmu/Reisen]

Reisen sometimes thought about how she and Youmu were very much unlike.

The differences ranged from the shallow to the significant. Reisen was tall and shapely, Youmu short and petite, not that it made cuddling up to her as the snow fell any less comfy. Youmu's white hair, short and fluffy, was perfect for ruffling as she leaned into the moon rabbit's chest, whereas Reisen's long, violet hair required extra care, such as when Youmu would brush it in the morning, cooing and telling her how beautiful she was.

Reisen spent most of her time either indoors helping Eirin or out on the road delivering medicine; Youmu could usually be found either in her garden, or inside cooking for Yuyuko. Reisen liked that she knew where to find her, and that after a long day on the road the gardener would be waiting for her with a soft, gentle smile on her face.

Reisen was as lively a member of Eientei as anyone, even if she was sometimes a bit of a punching bag for Tewi and Eirin. Youmu meanwhile was quiet, a little shy, though Reisen knew she hid a lot of energy to unleash, the target of which was usually the moon rabbit.

Even their choices of weapons was opposite: Reisen's gun contrasting with Youmu's swords.

As they sat, enjoying the first beautiful cherry blossoms of spring, the gardener leaning back into the soft embrace of the moon rabbit, Reisen remarked as much to Youmu: "Hey, Youmu, you ever think about how different we are from each other?" Youmu interlaced her fingers with Reisen's own, thinking on it for a second. "Well, honestly," she began, "I tend to think more about how similar we are." Reisen looked curiously at the little gardener, who, smiling, sat up and turned round.

"I'm a gardener, and you deliver medicine - we both want to protect life and see it flourish. Both of us prefer a quiet evening with each other over a loud night out with a group. We both enjoy a good book in front of the fire in winter. And... Well, I hope this one is a similarity..."

She leaned forward, and gave Reisen a little peck on the cheek, then flashed her a wide, beaming smile.

"I love you very very much!" she said, and Reisen blushed, returning the smile, before wrapping her arms around the gardener. "I love you too, Youmu," she said, with a little chuckle.


	2. Pink [Youmu/Reisen]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dorks celebrate girl's day

Reisen had a spring in her step, as she skipped down the path to Hakugyokurou. The reason she was so pleased with herself was that she had a special gift for Youmu - sakuramochi, pink mochi wrapped in cherry leaves. While cherry blossoms were nothing special at Hakugyokurou, especially at this time of year, Youmu didn't have the time to make mochi, especially not specially-flavoured mochi; whereas pounding mochi was the rabbit's job back at Eientei, so mochi was a special treat for the little gardener. Reisen giggled to think of her girlfriend's reaction when she saw what was in the little box.

Youmu caught Reisen's eye as she arrived, and gave her a big smile. "Reisen! I wasn't expecting you today." Reisen giggled, and gave the gardener a hug by way of greeting. "Well, I came because I'm not busy today... and because I have a little present for you." Youmu's smile only broadened. "Well, come on in! Do you want tea? We can take it out on the veranda overlooking the cherry trees." Reisen nodded emphatically. "That sounds perfect!"

Youmu brewed and brought through a pot of steaming green tea, with two little Japanese mugs. Reisen was waiting for her, a big wooden box on her lap, wrapped in a silk cloth. Youmu chuckled as she laid down the mugs, and poured them each a cup of tea. "Is that my present, then?" she asked. Reisen smiled, taking a little sip of tea. "Yes! But let's enjoy the cherry blossoms first before I give it to you."

They sat there for a while in comfortable silence, creeping a little closer to one another as they enjoyed their tea and the beautiful sight of the sakura petals. Eventually, as she'd sipped the last of her mug of tea, Reisen laid her head in the gardener's lap, putting her carefully wrapped gift down on the ground. Youmu cooed at the rabbit, running her fingers through Reisen's soft, lavender hair; said rabbit had to stop herself from purring. "You know, at first I was curious about the gift," Youmu said, "but if that means asking you to get up, forget it." She scratched behind the rabbit's ears, and this time Reisen really did purr, making Youmu giggle softly. After a few moments, Reisen fumbled around and managed to pick up the box. "Here, go ahead and open it up, it's the right time for it anyways. I don't have to get up." Youmu smiled, putting the box in her lap in front of Reisen. With one hand still running her fingers through her girlfriend's soft hair, she unfurled the silk covering, and raised the hinged top of the box. When she saw what was inside, she 'awwwed'.

"Reisen, you know just what I like," she said, smiling. She gently lowered her hand and slid it under the bunny's head, raising her up a little, and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Reisen blushed, before rolling over on her back, wrapping her arms around Youmu's neck, and pulling herself up to kiss the gardener on the lips. "Happy girl's day, Youmu!" she said, and Youmu chuckled, moving both arms back around the rabbit to support her. "So that's what the sakuramochi is in aid of," she said, and Reisen giggled. "That, and I know it's your favourite," she said, and Youmu smiled. They kissed again, as the cherry blossoms fell around them.


	3. Lost [Tewi/OC]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lost in the forest, Anon meets a strange bunny rabbit...

_Great. I'm lost,_ I remember thinking.

Maybe going hiking in the wilds of Japan was a bad idea, but I wanted to get back in touch with nature on this trip, and being as Tokyo was so built-up it'd got me desperate for the wild. And maybe, also, going into the spooky-looking bamboo forest was not a good idea either, but I wasn't thinking straight, because I was mixed up in some kind of tree-hugging fervor. Now, I was completely lost, with no landmarks anywhere in sight, and the bamboo only seeming to get thicker no matter what direction I went in. I wondered if this happened often, if the tour guide's reaction of "well, hiking around here is a bit... I'd not do it myself... It's not that you can't..." had been a typically roundabout Japanese way of saying "don't go that way, you stupid gaijin."

At least the underbrush seemed to be thinning out. Come to think of it, it was starting to disappear completely. I stopped to gather my bearings and see what it was. It almost seemed like a path - sure enough, the thinned underbrush was complimented by the giant bamboo being parted, and continued on in a winding fashion off into the distance. My heart leapt. A path! I could just follow this, and eventually I'd probably reach some kind of civilisation.

Counting my lucky stars, I continued along the path, blessing every step - until, suddenly, the ground gave way beneath me, and I found myself tumbling down.

"Oof!" I said, involuntarily, as I hit the ground, landing on my bum. Great, it looked like a pit-trap. The walls, solid dirt, looked too high to jump out of, and too slippery and treacherous to scale. Some overzealous hunter would no doubt find my skeleton in here in a few weeks. I yelled in frustration, cursing the ingenuity of civilised Man and his ability to fuck everything up for tree-huggers like me. Well, hopefully someone heard that and came running. I pulled my Japanese phrasebook out of my inner coat pocket, and started browsing for how to say "you idiot, get me out of this pit-trap!"

I hadn't been sitting there for much longer than five minutes when I heard soft footsteps echoing out through the empty forest. Life at last? I kept the phrasebook open, and stood. It wasn't long before a curious little face peeked at me over the edge of the pit.

It was a young-looking girl, with shaggy black hair and, curiously, red-coloured eyes. She wrinkled her nose like a rabbit as she observed me, and sure enough, she had floppy white ears on her head - maybe she was cosplaying? It's a bit weird to do that out here in the middle of nowhere, but as anyone will tell you, Japan is a weird country.

"You smell kinda funny," she said at last, in English. "Maybe it's my diet," I replied, "I'm not from around here." I've heard that Japanese people think we smell like sour milk, which seems a bit mean. The girl leaned down and offered her hand. I grasped it, and with surprising strength, she helped haul me out of the pit. I was able to give her a full look at last. She was very short, dressed in a pink sundress, and with a little carrot-themed necklace completing her rabbit look. She was barefooted, and had a mischievous grin on her face.

"Well, maybe you can at least help me get back to civilisation. Do you live around here? Where are your parents?" The girl got kind of a smug look, and chuckled. "Young lady, my parents are long dead. It might surprise you to know I'm actually a lot older than I look, certainly much older than you. But it is my job to help lost travellers, so I'll overlook that. Come with me." With that, she walked off, and I followed her cautiously.

We hadn't been walking long when she gave me a friendly smile. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Tewi, what's yours?" I smiled back to disarm any remaining tension. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tewi. My name is Anon." She smiled. "That is an odd name. I can tell you're not from around here. Sorry about the pit-trap, by the way. It's kind of a twisted joke of mine. You're actually the only person to have ever triggered one this far out." I laughed a little nervously. "Good thing you were passing by, then?" She laughed out loud. "Oh no, I wasn't passing by. I have my ways to know when someone's triggered a trap." Suddenly she stopped, and took an odd route round something on the ground. "That's another one, by the way, don't fall in." Cautiously, I copied the route she'd taken around it.

We had been walking for some time when we came across a small wooden cabin in a clearing in the bamboo forest. "It's a ways yet until the exit," Tewi said, "why not come in for a cup of tea or two?" Say what you will about the Japanese, they know how to charm visitors with a hot cup of tea. "That would be wonderful right about now," I replied. She smiled at me, opening the door. "Welcome to my humble abode!" she said. "Don't worry about your shoes, it's all wood in here."

Soon enough, I was seated at the low Japanese table, a steaming mug of delicious green tea in hand. Tewi had brewed it to perfection, and now she sat next to me, warming her little hands on her own mug of tea, a mischievous smile on her lips. "So what brings you to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost?" she asked, conversationally. "Wow, that's an ominous name," I said, and she laughed. "It lives up to it. You have no idea how many visitors me and Mokotan have to help reach Eientei or the exit. Most of them are boring, though." She took a big sip of her tea. "You're interesting though. What's with those weird clothes?" I looked down at what I was wearing. It was fairly typical hiking gear; sensible pants, a thick warm jacket, and big hiking boots I'd broken in years ago. Maybe she was worried I looked a bit androgynous? Backwaters like this could be pretty socially conservative. "What do people normally wear around here?" I asked. "Oh, typically lost wanderers around here are from the human village, so they wear yukata and the likes."

The human village? What an odd place name. Sounds like they were peasants or something. "Oh, I'm not from Japan, maybe that's why my clothes look so weird," I said. Tewi looked at me funny. "Do you find my appearance weird, too?" she asked. I chuckled. "Well, I'm not sure what's with the ears. And how did you get your eyes that red colour, contacts?" Weirdly, she blushed and covered up the bunny ears. "What's wrong with my ears?!" she asked. I laughed a little more at her odd reaction. "Well, you're out in the middle of nowhere! How are these attached, anyways? I don't see any headbands or anything..." I reached over and touched her ears, trying to find out how she was wearing them. Bizarrely, she let out a noise between a cry and a moan. "Ah! Don't touch them so suddenly!" she whined, swatting my hands away. She looked a little flustered, and pouted at me. "They're my real ears, dummy. They're attached in the same way as yours."

That made me pause. My face must've looked funny, because she giggled at me, then, to my surprise, leaned forward and planted a little kiss on my cheek. "I have to admit, I don't get a lot of girls coming this way, especially not cute ones like you," she said. At that I blushed. Was this weird little woman coming onto me? Her smile seemed only to grow more mischievous at my obvious embarrassment, and she reached over to caress my cheek. "You can touch my ears again, if you like," she said, her voice soft and almost sultry. Gingerly, I reached out for her head, burying my fingers in the delicate fluff of her ears. Sure enough, her ears were warm, and the fur was clearly organic. Her ears even twitched a little under my touch. She made little humming noises, and cuddled up close to me. Having a cute girl sharing such an intimate moment with me was stirring feelings I hadn't felt in far too long.

 _This is bad,_ I remember thinking. It's hard enough to explain to potential partners back home, but there might be a language barrier here, even if her English was impeccable. She reached over and started caressing the curves of my body, leading me to match her little pleasurable sounds with my own. Her fingers traced down the length of my body, before arriving at my thighs. I gasped at her gentle touch, and tried to stammer out the inevitable explanation - but before I could manage to get a coherent work out, she cupped my crotch. _This is it, she's going to freak out and hate me now. Nice going, Anon._

But she didn't. Instead, she actually let out a surprisingly sensual sound. "Oh, that _is_ a surprise. Not a lot of girls in Gensokyo have one of these..." she said. She gave it a squeeze, and I couldn't stifle the moan. She turned my face towards her and kissed me on the lips this time. Her kiss was warm, and gentle, but with a little force behind it, maybe even threat, that calmed my fears that she'd be freaked out or grossed out by me. After a few moments she broke the kiss. "Why don't we go through to the futon, Anon?" she asked.

Maybe getting lost isn't all bad.


	4. Cafe [Reimu/Marisa]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisa takes Reimu out; the miku seems unimpressed.

Reimu sipped at her tea cautiously, careful to ignore Marisa's expectant face. "Well, isn't it good!?" the ordinary magician asked, the excitement she felt apparent from her restless movements. "Hmm, average," Reimu said, putting it down, and enjoying Marisa's fidgety movements. "How's your coffee?" Marisa's smile returned, and she flashed the miko a thumbs-up. "Just perfect, ze!" Reimu smiled back. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, at least, but was it really worth coming to the outside world for?"

Sure enough, the ordinary magician and the Hakurei miko were currently sat in a cafe in the shadow of the leaning tower of Pisa; they were in Italy. Marisa had insisted, praising the quality of the coffee as being ten times better than anything in Gensokyo. Reimu, of course, was a tea drinker.

"It just seems strange. Of course, being so far away from Gensokyo isn't an issue when you have a rocket-powered witch's broomstick, but you know I prefer the tea back home." Reimu enjoyed the effect her nonchalant words had on the witch - it was well known that Marisa was a ladykiller, but she had one weakness, and that weakness was Reimu. Sure enough, Marisa was squirming with something like discomfort, or embarrassment. The witch didn't know about the denouement that was coming, but Reimu still wanted to tease her a little more.

"I mean, there's a lovely tea house in the human village. That would've been a better choice for a first date," she said, still keeping her tone conversational. Marisa wriggled. "But the coffee here is so good! These Italians know how to make it just right!" Reimu took another sip of her tea, and looked across at Marisa with the ghost of a smug grin on her face. "Well, you can't big it up like that without letting me have a taste, can you?" She reached out her hand expectantly, and Marisa hurriedly grabbed the little espresso cup and offered it to her. Reimu shook her head. "That's not what I meant and you know it," she said, earning a cute confused expression from the witch. "Take another sip, Marisa," she continued, and Marisa obeyed. As she was lowering the cup, Reimu reached over and cupped the magician's chin with her hand, and leaning forward, their lips touched. Reimu enjoyed an inner grin at how Marisa's frozen was posture contrasting with her eager lips, and slipping her tongue inside she tasted the bitterness of the coffee flavour still in the mage's mouth. When she was satisfied that she'd teased Marisa enough, she leaned back and took in her expression with smug satisfaction. Marisa was blushing harder than the miko had ever seen anyone blush before, and she was stuttering trying to get words out. Reimu licked her lips, and returned to sipping her tea.

After laying her cup down, she smiled at the witch. "Well, I normally don't like coffee, but that didn't taste so bad." She took another sip of her tea, and smiled at Marisa's aborted attempts to form a sentence. "Though, that could've just been because it was you," she continued. She leaned forward, and once again her face was right up close to Marisa's. "Want to try again?" she asked mischievously.


	5. Sharp [Youmu/Reisen]

"Reisen, show me that new riff again," Youmu said, teasing her hair out and hefting her bass guitar over her shoulder. "Sure thing, plug me in," Reisen replied, quickly checking her axe was in tune by ear. "What do you call this one?" Youmu asked, as she reached over and clicked the wavy pink cable into Reisen's practice amp. "I dunno. Maybe you can think of something that fits the melody," Reisen continued.

She played a few moody stabs, which sounded dark and savage through her down-tuned guitar and out of the amp's crunch channel. "Alright, sounds good," she said to herself, and played the riff. It was rhythmic, but sharp, cutting the silence of their little apartment in half with pure heavy-metal aggression. "Ahh, yeah, that's good. Sounds nasty!" Youmu said. She hopped over to the couch, snuggling just a little too close to Reisen as she went for a second go round. "What key is it in?" Youmu said, playing a short walking bassline to warm up. "Key of E," Reisen replied. She reached over and ruffled up Youmu's hair, and the bassist giggled, pushing her hands away. "Hey! You have any idea how much hairspray I used? We're on stage today!" Reisen snickered, catching the bassist's flailing hands in her own. Without warning, she dived in and kissed Youmu on the lips. Youmu rolled her eyes, but all the same wrapped her arms around Reisen's shoulders, leaning into and returning the kiss with gentle eagerness. Soon enough, Reisen broke it as suddenly as she'd started it. "That was nice. Got any ideas for lyrics?" Youmu chuckled. "Oh, something about a humble swordsman falling for a travelling rabbit girl who serenades her with music." Reisen grinned cheekily. "What is it with you and the sword motif?" she said teasingly. "What is it with you and the bunny motif?" Youmu shot back, sticking out her tongue impishly. "Hey, it looks cool on stage. Tall girl like me with bunny ears for extra height, shredding on guitar like no-one's ever seen before? C'mon, the dudes love it." Youmu chuckled. "I guess that's true. I have to keep reminding them that you're taken."

Reisen snickered. "Alright, lazy bones. Let's at least try another go round. You think you can handle this riff?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was really difficult. Raeror said "shreddy" in reaction to the word "sharp" and I figured that was the best I could do.


	6. The Moon [Youmu/Reisen]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reisen watches the moon, and wishes for company. Youmu is that company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this one a little early since I'm really not pleased with yesterday's (today's) post.

Reisen frequently was left to watch the full moon alone. It wasn't that there was a shortage of people to watch it with; moon viewing was a popular past-time in Gensokyo - more that no-one understood what mood she thought moon viewing should be done in.

The first choice would be another resident of Eientei. However, Tewi viewed the moon too childishly, too much like the Earth rabbit she was, wanting to chase it and jump for it rather than sit in quiet contemplation. Princess Kaguya, meanwhile, wanted nothing to do with moon viewing, and would scorn any offer to do so. Eirin, the master of Eientei, was almost always too busy with other things to come and view the moon with Reisen.

That left those that were not residents of Eientei. A noted moon fanatic was Suika, the above-ground oni who lived with Reimu in the Hakurei shrine. But Suika was a drunkard and too noisy, and she and Reisen didn't get on - especially if Reisen was trying to quietly contemplate the moon while Suika sang drinking songs and sipped from her endless gourd.

The others were much the same; either they refused outright, or Reisen found their company wasn't what she was looking for on nights like tonight. So it was that she found herself alone once more, looking up at the great glowing full moon and thinking of home. She couldn't go back, not ever; she was a pariah there now, who lived with two criminals and fugitives from Lunar justice. That thought weighed on her heavily every full moon. Tonight the moon seemed to look down upon its lost child with a mixture of mournful longing and scornful distaste. Reisen bitterly missed her comrades from the Capital, the feel of Lunar gravity and the glow of the moon's surface during the near-permanent Lunar day. She let out another sigh, leaned backwards to lay down on the floor of the little forest clearing, and pointed a forefinger at the moon, her hand in the finger-gun shape she still associated with being a Lunar soldier. Did anyone from the moon still remember her, even miss her?

The solitude and melancholy continued for some time. Reisen knew that this couldn't be good for her, longing so much for a home she would never know again, but she couldn't tear herself away. The night wind picked up a little, and Reisen shivered involuntarily. Fuck the cold. The moon was still staring at her, and she couldn't, didn't dare, look away. She could feel the same instincts Tewi didn't bother to suppress, a desire to run over the hills and through the forest, to climb the trees, and to jump as high as she possibly could, all to get one little chance to get a little closer to the moon, all futile.

Dimly, she was aware of the crunch of leaves underfoot, of someone approaching who wasn't trying to hide anything. She pinched her eyes shut, trying to pretend to be asleep. "Reisen," she heard a voice gently calling. "Are you OK, Reisen?" She must've looked a mess, because whoever it was wasn't convinced by the sleeping act. They sat down next to her, and she opened her eyes to see who it was. It was the lady Yuyuko's gardener, Konpaku Youmu. She too looked up at the moon mournfully, and with a little melancholy.

"Youmu?" Reisen asked. Youmu turned to her and offered a little smile. "Hi. I happened to be passing by looking for a flower that grows around here, and saw you were out here alone watching the moon. I figured you could use the company." Reisen let out a deep sigh. "Sure, I don't see why not." Youmu's smile broadened a little, and she laid beside Reisen, staring up at the moon as the rabbit had been doing.

They shared a few moments of comfortable silence, and Reisen felt herself gradually relaxing. The gardener had never been a loud one, and she seemed to be treating Reisen's moon viewing with the right mood in mind.

After a while, Reisen felt the need to say something. "You know I lived there, once?" Reisen heard a soft rustling as Youmu shook her head, and she continued. "Yeah, unlike Tewi and the other rabbits, I'm a Moon rabbit. I used to be a soldier, back on the moon. It was a... different life. But I'm a fugitive now, with Eirin-sama and the Princess Kaguya. I can never go home, and I can never see the friends and comrades I left behind. That's why I can't help but stare up at the full moon on nights like this." Youmu sat up and looked over at Reisen - the rabbit turned to her, and saw that there was a hint of a tear in her eye. "Hey, hey, none of that, c'mere you," Reisen said, sitting up and hugging the little gardener. "There's no need to shed tears over an old soldier like me. I knew when I signed up that there might be a day I never saw home again... just never figured I'd be alive, I guess..." Reisen's voice trailed off, and Youmu sobbed. "I-It's just really sad," she said, and hiccuped. "You're really nice to me, I can't stand to see you hurting, and lost so far from home." Reisen squeezed the gardener in her tight embrace, and chuckled softly. "The moon isn't my home any more. My home now is Gensokyo, is Eientei. I just... don't want to forget my roots. The moon will always be special to me, even if I can't go back." Youmu nodded, and sniffled a little, snuggling up into Reisen's embrace.

They stayed like that for a while, and when they broke the hug, Reisen gave Youmu a little smile, which she returned. "The moon will always be there. Maybe I can't go back to it, but that's OK. I've got friends here now, like Tewi, or... well, or you. If I could go back there now, I'd look up at Earth every night, wondering if you missed me." Youmu giggled and slapped Reisen on the arm.

Reisen had someone to view the moon with now. And somehow, that made everything feel alright.


	7. Disaster [Reimu/Marisa]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favourite witch and miko solve a minor incident.

Reimu took a deep draw from her teacup, enjoying the cool morning breeze. It was a quiet day at the Hakurei shrine; no drunken oni, no annoying gaphag, and best of all, not a single incident that needed solving. She took a relaxed, deep breath, and smiled as she looked at that perfectly clear blue sky. Today she could get some spring cleaning done, or if she was lucky some visitors would come and she could wangle a few donations! She chuckled in spite of herself, and took another sip of tea. Maybe life as the Hakurei shrine maiden wasn't so bad after all...

That thought lasted until she heard a familiar "woosh" that grew louder and louder as something approached from behind the shrine, starting as just a whisper in the wind, and gradually growing in volume until it was as loud as an airplane... and there was a thud in front of her. A broomstick with a very dangerous looking rocket-propelled setup sticking out of the back was pointing out of the ground in front of the shrine, and at the foot of the broomstick was a frilly pile of black-and-white. Said pile groaned, and stood, dusting itself off. "Morning, Marisa," Reimu deadpanned. The witch turned around, flashing Reimu her winning smile. "Hey there, Reimu! I came as fast as I could, but I've just found out the afterburner craps out the airbrakes, haha," she said, removing her giant conical hat and brushing the dust and dents out of it before replacing it.

Reimu let out a deep sigh. "And what, pray tell, was worth the hurry?" Marisa all but leapt to the ground in front of the miko, her face a mixture of worried and excited. "I'm not sure exactly, but Sanae called this morning, and she seemed worried as hell, ze! Apparently, there's a major incident brewing at the Moriya shrine, and Sanae needs our help!" Reimu pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "I swear that useless Luigi of a shrine maiden will have to learn how to solve her own damn problems one of these days," she grumbled. "C'mon Reimu, it could be fun. Remember the moon incident, ze?" Reimu sighed. "How could I forget. Alright, I'm coming. Fix your broomstick while I finish this tea, then let's make for the Moriya shrine." Marisa clapped her hands with glee. "It's a date, da ze!"

* * *

Reimu's deadpan expression had not changed all morning. Marisa, meanwhile, looked a little crestfallen. "I can't believe they called us over for something so simple as a blocked toilet," Marisa said, as the two were flying at a leisurely pace back to the Hakurei shrine. Reimu let out a snorting laugh. "I can't believe you decided the best way to unblock it was with a Master Spark." "Well, one thing's for sure - that's the last time they ask us for plumbing help, ze." Reimu chuckled, and flashed Marisa a smile. "How many incidents have we solved together, Marisa?" she said, feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. Marisa smiled back, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Well, depends when you start counting... and which ones you count... but it'd be at least ten, right?" "Coming up to twenty, I think." Reimu replied. "As many as that? Is that including minor ones?" "What makes an incident minor?" "Y'know what, I don't know, ze. Shall we just settle on 'a lot'?" Reimu giggled. "That works for me."

They were coming up to the Hakurei shrine now, which was lit pleasantly in the late morning sunshine. "Want to come in for a cup of tea?" Reimu asked. "Solving incidents is thirsty work, even if it's teaching Sanae what a plunger is." Marisa nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Oh, actually, I have a new blend for us to try!" As they sat at Reimu's low table, Marisa reached into a pocket somewhere in her witch's robe, and fished around in there for a while, before pulling out a little tin. "You wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to get this," she said, and Reimu chuckled. "The last time, you told me it was something to do with criminals in the outside world." "Yeah, and those guys meant business! No, it was different this time. I'll tell you the story some other time though - this has to be tasted to be believed!"

She opened the tin, and a fragrant, spicy aroma filled the small shrine. Reimu had already boiled the water, as Marisa had taken so long finding the tea leaves, and so Marisa proceeded to carefully measure out the temperature of the water, before getting the tea ready to steep. Reimu smiled as she watched the ordinary magician work. "You're so delicate with tea, Marisa," she said. Marisa blushed, but didn't look up from her work. "Yeah, well, tea deserves it," she said a little lamely. Reimu's smile didn't falter. "It's so different to how you are with everything else. You normally go at everything with gusto, with bravery and hot-bloodedness, so it's refreshing to see you slow down and take your time with something." Reimu let a little chuckle slip. "Dare I say, it's even a little cute." Marisa's blush grew broader, and Reimu's smile widened, as she enjoyed the magician's flustered face. "I-It's ready!" Marisa spluttered, carefully pouring two steaming cups of tea. Reimu took hers gracefully, and holding it up to her face, took a whiff of the aroma. "Oh, this smells great!" She blew on the tea to cool it a little, and took a sip. Noting Marisa's expectant expression, she lowered the cup and flashed her a winning smile. "Marisa, this is amazing. Even for you this is a damn good cup of tea." Marisa averted her eyes, and smiled, a small, shy smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Thanks Reimu," she said quietly. Reimu took another sip. She hadn't been lying - the tea was delicious. "Here's to many more incidents solved together - and many more pots of tea afterwards," she said, raising her mug almost in toast. Marisa's smile broadened. "Y-Yeah! To us, da ze!"


	8. Silent [Reimu/Marisa]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a party, but Reimu isn't in the mood.

Loud. The party was way too loud.

Now Reimu could loosen up with the best of them, could drink any but the oni under the table if she wanted to, but today she just wasn't in the mood. She sipped at her sake with a sour expression. She refused to enjoy herself!

It didn't help that she kept getting unwanted company from the locals; she was a minor celebrity in Gensokyo, especially considering she'd beaten most of the attendees in spell-card battles, and that meant they all thought they were entitled to her time. From the childishly annoying Scarlet Devil Remilia, to the creepily irritating gaphag Yukari, everyone wanted a piece of the Hakurei miko, and she wanted none of it.

 _Damn it, just let me drink in peace,_ she found herself thinking. Perhaps her glowering expression and one-word answers were finally having an effect, because gradually she found the party-goers were increasingly going to get their company elsewhere. _Good._ She refilled her sake dish, took another sip, and decided to go out for some fresh air.

It was a cool, pleasant night. The full moon's glow lit up the beautiful forest outside in sweet shades of pale. Reimu sat outside on the veranda, silently admiring the beautiful moon and the starlit sky. This was much more the speed for her current mood, and so she sat, sipping at her sake until it was just a dribble left in the bottom of the dish.

As she was debating getting some more, or staying out here where it was quiet and there was much-needed solitude, she heard the light sound of someone's footsteps behind her. She resisted the opportunity to sigh, and hoped that they had brought booze. Her company sat besides her, and she spared them a glance. It was Marisa, the ordinary magician. She'd hung up her prized hat somewhere indoors, and her blonde hair fell about her shoulders in curly waves. She caught Reimu looking, and flashed her a winning smile. "Sorry to disturb you, Reimu. I brought booze." Sure enough, she'd pilfered an unopened bottle of sake from inside. Reimu wordlessly offered her dish, and Marisa filled it, before taking a swig straight from the bottle. Reimu raised an eyebrow at the witch, who chuckled sheepishly. "I didn't have time to grab a dish or anything. Besides, it's a lot more fun drinking straight from the bottle, right?" Reimu laughed softly, smiling at Marisa and her antics. She sipped deep from the sake dish, and rested her head on the witch's shoulders. Marisa grinned and wrapped her arm around Reimu's shoulders, and there they stayed, sipping from their sake containers without a care in the world, in a comfortable silence.

"Gee, Reimu..." Marisa said after a few minutes, her words trailing off. Reimu tapped the sake bottle, and Marisa obliged, refilling her dish. "Reimu... Isn't the moon... isn't the moon really beautiful tonight?" Reimu turned and kissed Marisa on the cheek, and the witch blushed. Reimu finished off the sake dish in one deep draught, feeling the kick of alcohol in her empty stomach and noticing, as if for the first time, how beautiful Marisa was. The miko laid her dish aside, and slipped around Marisa's body until she was sitting in her lap, facing her, and straddling her tummy with her legs. "R-Reimu?" Marisa stuttered, and the miko delicately laid a finger on her mouth, before leaning forward and catching the witch's lips in her own.

Marisa was warm. She smelled of gunpowder, of the exotic shampoo she used, and under the sake Reimu could taste a hint of unmistakable Marisa-ness, of danger and excitement hiding a delicate core. After just a few seconds, Reimu broke the kiss, and stared deep into Marisa's amber eyes. The blush on the witch's face was burning bright, and Reimu found it incredibly endearing. _I have to get this girl into bed, or I'm going to explode,_ she found herself thinking, and a blush of her own accompanied the scandalous thought. She blamed it on either the alcohol, the beauty of the witch's blush, or the romance in the air of the beautiful night. She crept her face in closer to Marisa's, until their noses and foreheads were touching. Marisa's eyes were pinched shut, but Reimu knew she was happy with the turn of events. Reimu took a deep breath, and uttered three words, in the most sultry voice she could muster:

"Marisa. Bed. Now."


	9. Lavender [Tewi/Kaguya]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tewi is a jealous rabbit. Kaguya finds her endearing.

It was a stuffy day, the kind of day where Tewi didn't feel like doing anything. Perhaps this was why she found herself bothering the Princess, who was currently fussing over brushing her wavy brown hair. "Tewi, what _are_ we going to do with you... you spend too much time in the forest. Your hair is all knotty..." Kaguya said, carefully running the brush through Tewi's hair. "I don't care, it's not like I have pretty hair like Reisen," Tewi said. Kaguya tutted, and hugged Tewi from behind. "You silly rabbit. It'll never be pretty if you don't take care of it." Tewi grumbled something that sounded an awful lot like 'watch your tongue, young lady,' and Kaguya giggled softly.

"I can't possibly have hair as pretty as that, though, mine's just a boring brown colour," Tewi said. "There's nothing wrong with brown hair. I happen to be very proud of mine," Kaguya replied, fussing with a particularly nasty knot in Tewi's hair. "Yours is black, not brown," Tewi said, "and besides, I want lavender hair like Reisen's." Kaguya tutted. "Maybe you just need to do something interesting with it. You're worried about it getting in the way while you're outside, right?" Tewi muttered something, and Kaguya tutted again. "Come on, speak up, Tewi, or I won't be able to hear you." "I guess that'd be fine, but I want long straight hair like yours- uh, I mean, like Reisen's." Kaguya giggled, and stroked Tewi's hair softly. "I never knew you were such a jealous bunny, Tewi," she said. Tewi said nothing, but leaned into the princess's touch until she was lightly resting her head and her body against Kaguya. Kaguya didn't seem to mind.

"If it makes you feel any better, Tewi," Kaguya said, "you're my favourite of all the Inaba here." Tewi blushed, but didn't respond, even as Kaguya kissed the top of her head. "Unless you're competing for Eirin's attention, that has to count for something, right?" Tewi turned round and sat in Kaguya's lap. "Am I a pet or something to you?" she mumbled, just loud enough for Kaguya to hear. The Princess snickered. "That would mean putting myself above you. I may be a moon princess, but I'm a discredited one, and I know we're only in this forest because you and the other rabbits permit it. I'm not Eirin, you know." Kaguya leaned forward and placed a kiss on the rabbit's forehead, enjoying the luminous blush that caused. "Back on the Moon, rabbits aren't pets either, they're either servants or soldiers. I may be a princess, but I can see they're people too." She took a moment to look around at her room. It was very sparse compared to what she had had on the moon; a common futon and some electronic equipment from the outside world her only real amenities. "I'm rather a useless princess, here," she muttered.

Tewi leaned forward and brushed her lips against Kaguya's, in a momentary but ever so sweet kiss. The thought _oh, I like that_ floated through Kaguya's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird pairing, right? All that I could think of for lavender was Reisen's hair, and that lead me to think about other characters than Youmu thinking about it, especially Tewi since she seems to be Reisen's closest friend. And I've always gotten the impression from fanart that Tewi is the princess's favourite bunner, so I thought I'd extend that in the spirit of femslash feb...


	10. Waiting [Mokou/Kaguya]

Mokou finally caught her breath, and wiped away the little smudge of blood at the corner of her mouth. That princess really had a knack for pissing her off, and she couldn't even die in a fun way.

She looked over at the pile of ash that called itself Houraisan Kaguya, and spit on the ground. She would've liked to have made her beg, or something, but honestly the princess was good enough with words, and aware enough of her true immortality, that she'd've probably found a way to make Mokou look like a fool anyways.

"C'mon, hurry up and reincarnate," Mokou growled. She could feel the familiar tingle of the Hourai elixir working its magic on her own body already, as she waited for the same to happen to the accursed princess. How many times had they killed each other, even just tonight? It made her head spin just trying to keep track. Seeing that there wasn't much going on with Kaguya yet, Mokou sighed, and fell back on her hands, staring up at the night sky.

The constellations hadn't changed in her lifetime just yet, but something about living forever made her think that eventually they would. Even stars burned out, blew up, or faded away eventually, but she and Kaguya, and Kaguya's assistant, Eirin, would be here until the last star was dead, and until after that. In the outside world, it was hypothesised that the universe would grow forever, until everything was too far apart to be interesting, and the universe would cool and be reduced to nothing but a few scattered particles at absolute zero. Mokou was certainly not waiting for that to happen with baited breath.

She rolled over. Thinking about eternity was kind of depressing. Kaguya would tell her not to worry, that Eirin would think of something by then; she was a scientist after all, and had a few billion years to do so.

It had only been a mere few hundred years since she and Kaguya had wound up in Gensokyo, and this forest felt eternal, even though she knew it was not. The sounds of animals and insects living their fleeting lives was a cold comfort; they didn't have to worry about stupid things like "the heat death of the universe" or "the death of Earth's sun" or "the Andromeda galaxy colliding with the Milky Way", events which would no doubt play a part in the three immortal's distant future.

She felt a weight on her back. Kaguya was sitting on top of her, and chuckling softly. "About time," Mokou grumbled, and Kaguya leaned forward, pressing the rest of her body up against Mokou's back. "Mokotan~" she sang softly, and Mokou growled. "Don't say my name like that, you shitty princess," she snapped, and Kaguya giggled. "Aren't you getting bored of killing, Mokou? Don't you want to do something more fun?" Mokou buried her face in the grass. "Shut the hell up, Kaguya. It's not my fault you can't even be bothered to make dying fun, you NEET princess." She felt something warm and wet on her neck, and let out a little shriek when she realised what it was. "H-Hey, Kaguya, there's no need for that!" she said. "Oh come now, Mokotan, you can't tell me you don't like this once in a while~" the princess said, her voice still a flirty sing-song. She kissed and nipped at Mokou's neck a little more, and Mokou found her breathing growing heavier. Part of what frustrated her the most about Kaguya is that the worthless princess had the gall to be _hot_ , too.

"K-Kaguya, if this is a fucking tease I swear to god I'll make your next death so painful you'll beg to be mortal," Mokou stuttered, and Kaguya giggled again. "Is that an invitation for more, Mokotan?" she said, sensually caressing the side of the other immortal's body in that irritating way she did that made Mokou's breath catch in her throat and her chest go tight. "Do what you want," she muttered, and Kaguya obliged, laying little kisses up Mokou's neck and towards her face. She cupped Mokou's chin with her hand, and gently turned her head towards her own, leaning in and catching her lips with her own.

Mokou hated it when Kaguya did this. She hated the warmth of her lips, hated the sweet, pleasant _Kaguya_ smell that surrounded her, hated the sweet taste and the way the princess would nibble softly at her lips when she wanted more. She rolled her body over to make it more comfortable for both of them. She hated how Kaguya pressed herself up against her, hated how her own arms would wrap around the princess's slender body and hugged her closer.

But most of all, Mokou hated that she always found herself waiting for Kaguya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsun-tsun Mokou is the best, right?


	11. Rest Day [Reimu/Marisa]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reimu is feeling lazy; Marisa humors her.

It was another freezing cold winter morning at the Hakurei shrine, and Reimu was buried in the kotatsu, with absolutely no intention of leaving. "I hate February," she grumbled.

"Me too, da ze!" The door slid open, and there stood the Ordinary Magician, Marisa Kirisame, clad in a cute hand-knitted red scarf. "Close the door already, there's a draft," Reimu grumbled. "Sure will!" Marisa said, letting herself in as she did so. She came to the kotatsu and laid a box on top of it. "Wow, Reimu, you're completely buried in there," she said. "Yes. So don't disturb me. It's too cold today." Marisa chuckled. "Shall I brew us some tea? A hot drink might help you warm up." Reimu gave her a pleading look. "Please do..."

That was enough to send Marisa off to grab the kettle. Reimu curled up into a ball underneath the thick blanket of the futon, trying to preserve her body heat as much as possible. Still, she was definitely curious about the box. What could Marisa have brought?

Soon enough, the witch was back with a steaming hot kettle. "I've got some Western-style tea that likes to be brewed at a straight 100 here, so I hope you don't mind," she said, laying the kettle down and putting a teabag each into two mugs. "Tea in a bag?" Reimu asked curiously. "Yeah, they're mad on it in the outside world. It doesn't taste quite as good, but it's pretty convenient." She poured a cup for Reimu and another for herself. "Don't you have shrine maiden duties to take care of?" she asked conversationally as she tucked into her hot cuppa. Reimu took her own and put it under the kotatsu, along with all but her head. "No. Today is a rest day. It's too cold to work, anyways." Marisa smiled. "I know the feeling. You know half of Gensokyo is shivering under the kotatsu right now? You should get a Western-style cottage, like mine or Alice's. You can even install aircon."

Reimu grumbled and sipped at her tea. "What's in that box, anyways?" Marisa gave her a toothy grin. "Oh, something you'll enjoy for sure! But you have to sit up properly if you want to see." Reimu grumbled again and obliged, putting her teacup on the table before hoisting herself out. She'd foregone her usual shrine maiden garb in favour of a thick, fluffy robe she'd bought from Rinnosuke's store, over the top of equally cosy pyjamas. She'd even put warm, thick woollen socks on. "What's so special that you want me to leave the warmth for it, Marisa!?" she demanded. Marisa's cheeky grin only widened. "Well, let's find out, shall we!" She popped the lid on the box, and inside were two smaller boxes - bento boxes. She took one for herself, and put the other at Reimu's place on the table. Reimu eyed it cautiously, and popped the lid. Steam rose up from inside the box; the contents were piping hot. It was a thick, delicious mushroom stew, with a generous helping of fluffy white rice and pickled vegetables, presented beautifully and taking up every corner of the already-large bento box. The smell alone had Reimu drooling, suddenly realising just how hungry her meagre breakfast had left her. Wordlessly, Marisa handed her some chopsticks, and she took them with no reply. "Surprise! It's brunch. Well, it's big enough to be dinner, really, but I figured you'd want some warm comfort food. I know how it gets cold in this shrine, ze." Reimu said nothing, but raised her head to give Marisa her full force, ear-to-ear smile. Marisa giggled, blushing considerably. "Well, hey, don't look at me so earnestly, it's just food..." she stuttered. Reimu shook her head. "It's _your_ food, Marisa, for me, and right now it's just what I need. That much is worth a smile." Marisa said nothing, but her blush was luminous in the half-light of the shrine.

Still smiling, Reimu grasped her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" She wasted no time in digging into the food. Sure enough, it was every bit as delicious as it had smelled and looked. Marisa smiled at Reimu's antics, taking her time with her own serving. It wasn't long before Reimu had absolutely demolished it, and was eyeing Marisa's portion too. "Wow, you weren't kidding, you really needed that! Here," Marisa said, collecting some rice and stewed mushrooms on her chopsticks. She reached across the table, feeding the steaming hot stew straight to Reimu, who was only too happy to oblige. "Mmmm, lishus," she slurred, and Marisa giggled. "Reimu, this hardly suits your image as the cool shrine maiden, you know." Reimu pouted. "Oh hush! I'm allowed to slip a little on my rest day. It's so cold I don't know what to do with myself."

Suddenly, her eyelids dropped a little, her expression turning sultry. "Say, Marisa~ You must be cold too. Why don't you come round this side of the kotatsu?" Marisa blushed some more. "Well, are you sure about that, it's a bit small, after all..." "Psh, c'mere you," Reimu said, beckoning the witch over. Marisa relented, scooting round to sit under the kotatsu next to Reimu. Reimu wasted no time in wrapping her arms around the witch and pulling her under the covers with her. "Hey!" Marisa cried, giggling. "Don't struggle," Reimu whined, "I wanna cuddle!" Marisa smiled and squeezed the miko. "This really doesn't fit your image, haha. Don't worry, I'll warm you up." Reimu mumbled something and rested her head in Marisa's chest. "What was that, Reimu?" Marisa said, wondering if it had been what she thought it was. Reimu spoke again, and this time, what she said was definitely audible.

"I love you..."


	12. Balloons [Youmu/Reisen]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Festivals are fun - Youmu and Reisen sure think so.

Reisen fiddled with her kimono and sighed. She really wasn't used to traditional Japanese clothes; Lunar fashion was much closer to the Earth's cultural West, favouring mostly utilitarian fashion with sparse decorations relegated to formal wear. Still, she had to get in the festival mood, because she had a date with a certain gardener. Speak of the devil, she was arriving now, and when Reisen saw her, her breath caught for a second.

Youmu was beautiful. Rather than her usual green clothing, she wore a red, floor-length kimono, decorated with a striking sakura pattern. Her ghost half floated behind her, and as she saw Reisen she gave a small, shy smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. Reisen noticed she was wearing a single cherry blossom ornament in her white-grey hair, alongside her usual black headband. She came straight to Reisen's side, and the rabbit could even smell a little perfume coming from the gardener. "Youmu... wow... You're absolutely beautiful..." Reisen said breathlessly. Youmu's smile widened, and she matched it with an adorable little blush. "Thank you... You too, Reisen, your kimono suits you." Reisen could feel her own face heating up, and she averted her gaze. "T-thanks," she stuttered. Youmu hooked her arm around Reisen's. "Well, shall we enjoy the festival?" she asked. Reisen nodded vigorously.

It was rather a lovely festival. The human village kept it mostly traditional, but as always in Gensokyo, some creature comforts and entertainment had seeped out from the outside world. Reisen and Youmu munched on toffee apples, attended little craft stalls and played festival games.

The funniest, of course, was the strength test. The guy running it was offering balloons to anyone that could ring the bell. Reisen was eyeing the balloons longingly - they had a bunny motif, which as a moon rabbit she was weak to - and Youmu proclaimed she would win one for her. "Oh, I don't know, aren't these things always rigged?" Reisen said. "Yeah, rigged for normal humans, not for me," Youmu whispered. "Onii-san! I'll have a go at winning one of these balloons!" The guy running the strength test chuckled. "Alright, you can sure try. Here," and he handed her the hammer. She tested the weight in her hands, and nodded at Reisen confidently. Suddenly, with the speed of a viper's strike, she slammed the hammer down, and instantly the bell rang out throughout the festival. She confidently laid the hammer down, and gestured to the attendant for the balloon. He handed it over, his face nervous, seeming genuinely frightened of the tiny, but powerful, gardener.

Reisen skipped along happily, balloon in hand, and Youmu couldn't help but giggle. "It's just a balloon, you seem way too happy," she said. "Yeah, because I can get back at Tewi! She'll be so jealous of this. You know everything she has is bunny-motif? Well, she doesn't have a bunny balloon! Haha!" Youmu giggled again, and coming up behind Reisen, wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist. "You're so cute," she said, and Reisen rested her hands on Youmu's, smiling sweetly. "Why don't we get some yakisoba and sit down? The fireworks will begin soon," Reisen said, and Youmu nodded.

With plates full to the brim with the delicious fried noodles, Youmu and Reisen sat at a little wooden table, hands gently grasped together. Reisen found herself tucking into the noodles with gusto, having not realised just how hungry she was, whereas Youmu ate at a more leisurely pace, nonetheless enjoying the meal and the rabbit's company. "Ah, this is so good!" Reisen said, already nearly half done, and Youmu giggled. "It's not hard to make, you know, I could make it for you some time." Reisen's ears twitched, and her smile was all the confirmation Youmu needed.

Reisen finished before long, and she leaned into Youmu's smaller body, both her arms wrapped around the gardener's. Youmu smiled and soon enough, had finished her own noodles. The two took the opportunity to reshuffle a bit, until Reisen was leaning into Youmu's chest, her girlfriend's arm around her shoulders, Youmu's free hand intertwined with her own. The fireworks began, lighting up the night in brilliant golds, reds, blues, and greens, and they kissed under the sparkling sky.


	13. The Sun [Sakuya/Meiling]

Meiling took a deep, steady breath, smiling sweetly. The landscape in front of her was lit by the gorgeous midsummer sun, bathing the whole world in gorgeous warmth. While she guarded the mansion come rain or shine, she had to admit that it was in the summer months that she enjoyed her job the most, because she got to enjoy every moment of the marvellous sunlight. She closed her eyes, just enjoying the warmth. Her ears were alert, however, and when she heard familiar footsteps, she bolted her eyes open, standing just a touch more alert than she had been a second ago.

The footsteps belonged to a certain maid - Sakuya. "Meiling. I hope you're paying attention this morning," she said, walking around to stand in front of the gate guard. Meiling grinned happily at her. "Of course, Sakuya-san. I take my job very seriously, you know." Sakuya snorted, suppressing a laugh. "Well, I guess this is the best time of year for it, isn't it?" Meiling nodded. "Definitely! I can see for miles, and the light level means I can stay out longer. Not a soul will pass!" Sakuya grinned. "And, more importantly, the weather isn't too bad, is it?" Meiling nodded. "Oh no, it's lovely out here! Though when it gets to noon, it gets a bit toasty. I'd really appreciate something to drink when it gets to high noon." Sakuya placed her finger under her chin, looking pensive. "Well, we'll have to see about that," she said. "Keep up the good work, Meiling, and don't let me catch you slacking off!" With that she started to head back to the mansion. "I wouldn't dream of it, Sakuya-san!" Meiling called back, and Sakuya waved with the back of her hand as she headed into the mansion.

* * *

Sure enough, the closer it crept to noon, the hotter and hotter the weather got. Meiling was more than a little bored, too - no-one had come to visit today, so she was largely just watching out for any youkai that might stray too near; even that seemed pointless, since they were probably all soaking in the lake or hiding in the shade, away from the stifling heat. She'd long ago taken her cap off; it was a boon in winter, but in heat like this it just made it difficult to keep her thoughts straight.

_Hah... it'll only be like this for another three hours or so. I can power through that no trouble! But I might need to take a nap afterwards..._

Even Meiling's can-do attitude struggled to keep her going as the sun only got higher and the heat only got greater. Soon enough it was high noon, and the sun was beating down on her with oppressive force, feeling like being blasted with a Master Spark from that damn witch, threatening to blast Meiling into ashes. She was panting like a dog, struggling to keep focus under the raging heat, and it was thus that she missed the sound of footsteps behind her again.

"Well, you weren't lying," someone said, "it really does get hot at noon." Meiling turned her head slowly, wincing at the feeling of her long red hair sticking to her neck, which was drenched in sweat. There, again, was Sakuya, looking perfectly comfortable even in her thick maid dress. "Oh, hello, Sakuya-san," Meiling managed. "Goodness, look at you, you're like a puddle. You must be boiling hot, Meiling. Here," and Sakuya handed Meiling a glass of something. She didn't need to tell her twice; as soon as the glass was in her hand, Meiling lifted it to her lips and drained it in one. It was delicious; cool, sweet, home-made still lemonade. She felt revitalised. "Sakuya-san, thank you so much!" she said, her voice raising in pitch at least a tritone. Sakuya winced, smiling. "Hey now, keep it down!" she said, "the other servants will get jealous!" Meiling's concentration and vision returned, and she saw that not only did Sakuya bring her a glass, but a whole jug of lemonade.

"Sakuya... is that all for me!?" she said. Sakuya gave her a withering look. "No, I wanted to water the hydrangeas with my home-made lemonade... yes of course it's for you, dummy." Meiling giggled, holding out her glass, and Sakuya poured her another one, which she began to sip a little slower this time. "Thank you so much, Sakuya-san. You do take care of me." "D-don't get the wrong idea! This is only because Milady will scold me if her gate guard slacks off!" Meiling smiled, and blew Sakuya a kiss. "Yeah, that's as good a cover story as any," she said, giggling at Sakuya's sweet blush.


	14. White [Youmu/Reisen]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wake up, you got a big day.

Reisen adjusted her tie awkwardly. She wasn't used to a bowtie, favouring the more traditional straight tie on a day-to-day basis - but this wasn't a day-to-day basis, this was a 'special occasion'. "Hey, don't fret so much, Reisen, you look fine," Tewi said. Reisen glared at the smaller rabbit, who smiled back innocently. She was wearing a more formal update to her normal pink summer dress, and her signature carrot-themed necklace was tucked under her clothing, giving her a bit more mature of a look - if Tewi could ever be called mature. She smiled and spun 360 round on her heels. "Isn't this wonderful? I love weddings. Shame they won't let me officiate." Reisen's glare only grew harder. "There's a reason for that, you little prankster. If you officiated, you'd figure out a way to turn the whole thing into one big prank."

As the rabbits bickered, a face poked around the curtain - it was Eirin. "Udonge, the bride's almost ready. Are you all done in here?" Reisen shook her head. "Tewi lost her hairbrush, and I forgot mine. I can't go out there with my hair looking like this!" Eirin chuckled, coming into the changing room proper to fuss over Reisen's curled hair. "I don't know what you're talking about, these curls came out beautifully." She produced a hairbrush from somewhere inside her labcoat and ran it through Reisen's hair a couple of times. "Take a look in the mirror, now," she said gently.

Reisen looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a highly formal black-and-white tuxedo; she had considered Japanese getup for her wedding, but considering her normal dress, it hadn't been too hard for her fiancée to convince her to go for Western style. Eirin was right; her lavender hair, teased into soft curls by Tewi, was beautifully elegant, with just a little liveliness and bounce. She was normally a little down on her appearance, but even she had to admit that she looked beautiful for her wedding.

She couldn't wait to see what Yuyuko and the gaphag had done with her Youmu.

* * *

The organ music being played was a little unconventional, since it was coming out of an electric synthesizer being played by Lyrica Prismriver - she had had to be persuaded to play alone, and her sisters were sitting to one side, looking positively green with envy. Still, it fit the mood as Reisen emerged from the changing room, arm-in-arm with Eirin. It was embarrassing to have her boss handing her over to her wife-to-be, but she'd not seen her father in years, so she was willing to overlook that.

Still fretting over her own appearance, she almost missed Yuyuko rounding the corner with another figure on her arm. When Reisen saw her, her heart caught in her throat. What a beautiful dress - white as fresh snow, with a long bridal chain, a decent sized train flowed behind. It was a flattering cut, showing off Youmu's curves and accenting her toned figure. The veil was down, however, and Reisen could only make out the silhouette of her face. From here, it was a long walk down the aisle towards the altar, past their friends and colleagues - including every earth rabbit that Eirin would let Tewi invite. Many of them cooed and smiled at the couple as they passed. As they got to the front, they found the other denizens of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost and the surrounding area - Fujiwara no Mokou, still wearing her usual getup, alternating between smiling at Reisen and Youmu, and scowling at Houraisan Kaguya, the princess of Eientei, who waved as they passed. The schoolmaster, Kamishirasawa Keine, was right at the front row, and already had tears in the corner of her eyes as the couple finally reached the altar. There stood the Hakurei shrine maiden, Reimu, looking a little uncomfortable in a Western priest's garb. She smiled as Yuyuko and Eirin released the couple, and her smile only wavered a little as they reached her, and she candidly complained about the awkwardness of her outfit. "Still," she whispered, "I'm the only ordained priest in Gensokyo who isn't named Sanae, so you made the right choice. And thank you for the generous donation, by the way." She winked, and Reisen couldn't help but smile.

The couple turned to face one another, and Reisen lifted the veil from Youmu's dress. She held back a gasp. The gardener was positively breathtaking. "Youmu..." Reisen murmered, "wow." Youmu blushed and averted her gaze, a small smile creeping onto her face. Reimu cleared her throat, and opened the little prayer book.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of two hearts in holy matrimony; to see our two dear friends, Reisen, and Youmu, sanctify their bond and dedicate their lives to one another. If any present can show just cause why they should not be together, speak now, or forever hold your peace." Reisen held her breath, just waiting for Tewi to ruin it for her. But the little bunny, who was sat in the first row, just gave her a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up. No-one else said anything, or did anything but watch.

"Marriage," Reimu began, continuing the ceremony, "is an institution that holds as strongly here in Gensokyo as in the outside world. Our dear friends, Youmu and Reisen, have told me they believe this is the next chapter in both their beautiful friendship and their budding romance. As the maiden of the Hakurei shrine, I can only offer my congratulations, my faith in the strength of their partnership, and my blessing for their many happy years together to come. And it is my sincere belief that this union will be happy, prosperous, and long-lasting. So, if you will join me in congratulating the happy couple, we shall continue with the vows."

She cleared her throat, and turned the page. "Do you, Reisen Udongein Inaba, take Konpaku Youmu to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Reisen nodded emphatically. "I do," she said, holding back tears. "And you, Konpaku Youmu, do you take Reisen Udongein Inaba to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Youmu really was weeping softly. "I-I do, yes, I do!" Reimu smiled, as the couple took each other's hands. "Then by the power vested in me, I name you woman and wife. You may both kiss the bride."

There was a cheer as Reisen leaned forward and laid a gentle kiss on Youmu's lips. "I love you," she whispered. "I love you too, Reisen," Youmu replied, her eyes still sparkling with tears. As they parted, Reimu gently turned them to the ecstatic audience. "I present to you the newly married couple, Youmu and Reisen." The cheer grew louder, and the bunnies at the back whooped and clapped. Youmu tossed her bouquet into the crowd, and Kaguya caught it casually, one-handed. She turned to Mokou with an evil grin, who glared back. "In your dreams," Mokou growled.

Youmu and Reisen left hand in hand to begin the rest of their lives, together.


	15. Umbrellas [Reimu/Marisa; Highschool AU]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a high-school AU, a little different to the other chapters, but this was the best idea that fit the prompt.

"Man, that Miss Scarlet is such a child," Marisa grumbled. Reimu nodded her agreement. "How do you get to be a teacher while still acting like a twelve-year-old!?" Marisa continued, kicking her shoes as she walked. It was home time; the last period of the day had just passed. The two friends were just heading to their lockers to put the day's ephemera away, and then they'd walk home together. "God, it's chucking it down out there," Marisa said, as always just voicing whatever thoughts came to mind. Reimu hummed in assent. "Did you bring your umbrella, Reimu?" Marisa asked, and Reimu reached inside her schoolbag and pulled out a folded-up commuter umbrella. "Ahh, that little thing again, eh? I got a full-sized one in my locker!"

They had reached their lockers now, which were right next to each other and just outside the music room. Marisa violently swung the door to hers open, and giggled as several letters fell out. "Ah, more secret admirers, haha! How'd I ever get so popular!? Reimu, do you have any?" Reimu opened her locker, and Marisa was struck by how spartan it was, as always - decorated only by a single picture, a selfie she'd taken with her quiet friend on a school trip. Marisa's arm was around Reimu's shoulders, her face grinning like a fool, her blonde hair recently cut - this was during her pageboy phase, before the braid - and Reimu, the brunette, had a small, impish smile on her face.

Marisa shook her head of intrusive thoughts about Reimu and reached inside her own locker for her umbrella. It wasn't in its usual spot. Cursing, she rummaged around inside, and got nothing but air and old stuff. "Blast. It has to be in here somewhere..." She leaned inside and really started searching, throwing old papers and never-handed-in report cards out of the way, but still finding nothing but trash. "God damn it! It would be the day that it's pissing down that my umbrella went missing!" Angrily, she slammed the door shut. Reimu looked at her curiously, and she chuckled sheepishly. "Hell, what good is a full-sized umbrella if you can't use it, eh?" She turned towards the door, and gestured to Reimu, who followed quickly at her heel.

"Blasted cursed HECKing umbrella," Marisa grumbled. She was walking briskly, and it took a lot of effort for the shorter Reimu to keep up, almost breaking into a run to keep up. Finally, they reached the front door of the school. Marisa could see through the glass that it was, true to her word, pissing down. It was the hardest rain she'd seen all year, maybe harder than anything last year, too. "I'm going to get absolutely soaked," she grumbled. "Well, might as well face it. You've got your umbrella, Reimu?" Reimu came closer and tugged at Marisa's sleeve, her way of getting her louder friend's attention. As Marisa turned, asking what she wanted, Reimu raised her umbrella. Marisa got what she meant instantly, and her face lit up in a sweet blush. "U-Uh, Reimu, you're really sweet, but, if you do that, people are gonna think we're... d-d-dating." As if not even hearing Marisa's stammering, Reimu tugged at her friend's sleeve again, harder, as if she'd been ignored. Marisa stammered some more, averted her eyes, failing to say anything coherent. After a second, however, she let out a deep sigh. "Ok, fine. Get that umbrella up," she said. Reimu smiled, and Marisa noted the Machiavellian glint in her eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't kuudere Reimu just darling?


	16. Blue [Sakuya/Meiling]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meiling is always smiling, but Sakuya sometimes wonders.

Meiling leaned against the wall, eyes just about open, but fluttering closed for just a few seconds at a time. It always got like this towards the end of her shift - as the sun started to roll over the horizon, thoughts of the soft, warm bed waiting for her back in the mansion started to slip in, and she would drift into the first throws of sleep. Of course, this wasn't a huge issue - this late in the day, the Mistress would be starting to wake up, and thus it'd be unlikely she'd be scolded by Sakuya for taking a five-minute break...

"Meiling."

Ah, Sakuya, what a cutie, she could almost hear the head maid's voice even now...

"Meiling!"

Oh, Sakuya-san, how I'd like to be scolded by you, and then punished by you...

**"Meiling!"**

Maybe I'll get to see you this evening, spend a few moments swapping desperate glances, just a snatch of those eyes...

**_"Meiling, wake up this instant!"_ **

It was then that Meiling got a hefty slap to the face, which broke her out of her reverie. "Oh! Good morning, Sakuya-san!" she burbled cheerfully, knowing there was only one person with fierce enough slaps to wake her up.

"Good morning, my foot!" Sakuya snarled. "You're lucky it's the end of your shift, or you really would've gotten it. Now come back inside, milady Flandre is desperate for your company."

"Flandre, eh?" Meiling asked. "Well, I don't mind. Will there be dinner?" Sakuya nodded. "I'm preparing breakfast for the Mistress and for the lady Flandre. Some scraps will be prepared for you too." Meiling clapped her hands in excitement. "Hooray! Thank you, Sakuya-san!" Sakuya gave her a faint smile, the ghost of a smile, even, but said no more.

* * *

It was well known that the reason Flandre liked Meiling the best was because the hardy gatekeeper was nigh-indestructible, even if the younger of the two Scarlet Sisters tried her best to prove that wrong. So it was a very battered Meiling that staggered out from the basement after playtime. "Ah, Milady is very lively this morning," she said, as she staggered into the kitchen. Sakuya was slicing vegetables and facing away from the door. "Sorry, I'm a little clumsy at the moment, I've lost a lot of blood," Meiling continued, "but I can still stand. Do you need help with anything, Sakuya-san?"

One moment, the head maid was still at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables, the next, she was at Meiling's side, an opened first-aid kit on the counter next to her. She had a bandage in hand, which she wrapped around Meiling's head. "You idiot of a gatekeeper, do you not ever think for your own safety?!" she growled. Meiling shook her head. "Nope. I'm basically invincible, anyways, so getting batted around by Flandre is nothing." She was smiling. "There's no need to worry about me, Sakuya-san, you should know as well as anyone that I can take a bit of punishment."

Sakuya was bent over, hiding her face, hands clutched to the front of Meiling's dress. "Sakuya-san?" the gatekeeper asked, and Sakuya's shoulders trembled, a horrible squeaking noise coming from her. Meiling's eyes widened when she realised what it was - she was crying.

"Meiling, why!?" the maid sobbed. "Why do you do this to yourself!? Why do you constantly have to endure such punishment?! Why do you always do it with a smile on your face!? I can't stand it any more!" She beat her fists against Meiling's chest; ineffective with a chest like hers, of course, as it just sunk into soft flesh. Meiling sighed, and put her hands on Sakuya's shoulders. The maid looked up, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to see you hurt all the time, Meiling! I don't want to have to patch you up every day, and watch you try to smile like it's nothing! It's driving me crazy!" She dropped to her knees, hands still grasping onto the fabric of Meling's Chinese dress, sobbing violently. When she spoke again, her voice came out weak.

"I just want you to be happy..."

Meiling crouched to the ground next to Sakuya, and wrapped her arms around the maid, holding her close. The sobs continued for some time, but Sakuya's arms, too, wrapped around Meiling's waist. After Sakuya had started to calm down, Meiling spoke, almost too quiet to hear.

"I know it seems like I just get nothing but punishment around here, and heck, I do take a lot of it... from dealing with that troublesome witch and her even more troublesome miko friend, to enduring the weather or the occasional punishment when I slack off, or even playing with milady or the young Mistress... but I mean it when I say it's OK. I can take being slapped around a bit. The truth is, I wake up every morning with a smile on my face, knowing that I'll get to spend today with my friends, with the people I love. Whether I'm helping you out around the mansion, or making Flandre-sama laugh and smile, or protecting the young Mistress as she slumbers, I'm happy that what I do means something. You want me to be happy? Sakuya-san, a lowly youkai like me couldn't be happier." As if to punctuate the point, she kissed Sakuya on the forehead.

Sakuya said nothing, but her hug grew tighter, and she didn't cry any more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sakuya.
> 
> This one is different to what you might expect from a prompt like this. A song came to mind when I thought about "blue" - from the Joni Mitchell album of the same name - a beautiful, and truly sad song called "Little Green". That put me in the mood to write more of a feelsy chapter this time round.
> 
> I wanted to explore the dynamic my favourite meido and favourite chinese girl have, and maybe show that Sakuya does have a caring side too. Sorry if Sakuya seems OOC as a result :^)


	17. Damned [Mokou/Kaguya]

The desert stretched out in all directions, as far as Mokou could see in the fading moonlight, with only the occasional wonky telephone or electric line, or crumbling stone building, to break up the endless sands. She couldn't see a single living thing, but that was hardly unusual in these wastes.

"Kaguya, you shit," she mumbled, "next time you wander off I really am going to kill you." No-one responded, because there was no-one to respond. She considered sending up a fireball to act as a beacon, but if Kaguya was in a mischievous mood she'd probably just deliberately ignore that. "I'm so fucking bored!" Mokou shouted, and her voice travelled off into the distance. Still no reply, no reaction, not even a stirring across the desert. Exhausted, Mokou threw herself back, laying down in the warm sand, looking up at the night sky.

The constellations had started to change. Betelgeuse went supernova years ago, but that wasn't even the biggest change. She idly wondered if a new civilisation would rise from the ashes of this world, if they'd look up at the sky and create new constellations she'd never be able to understand. At least the glow of the Milky Way was still there, a small comfort that suggested the universe would still go on.

Still, Mokou really was bored, and closing her eyes she figured she'd just get forty winks. The wonders of the night sky grew old after millions of nights; there was only so much wonderment she could stomach about how small she was, since really, being immortal, she could go out there and travel the stars if she wanted to. If.

"Mokotan!" Another voice, at last, and that sing-song quality that never seemed to leave it was awfully familiar. Mokou didn't bother to get up; there was a 50-50 chance of guessing, and she'd grown rather familiar with the differences in the voices of the only two other immortals on this planet. "Hello, Kaguya," she said, not opening her eyes. "Oh, no, this is Eirin," Kaguya said, sitting seiza behind Mokou's head. Mokou shuffled back, so that her head was resting in Kaguya's lap. "No it isn't," she said.

Kaguya sniffed huffily, stroking Mokou's hair gently. "Fine, it isn't. How are you, Mokotan?" the princess asked. "Bored. Less bored now that you're here," Mokou replied, and Kaguya giggled, scratching Mokou's scalp in _just the right place,_ making the other immortal sigh contentedly. "Did you find anything interesting on your little excursion?" Mokou asked. "Uh-uh," Kaguya responded, "there's nothing but sand and a few old buildings for miles in that direction. How about you?" "Nope, nothing but sand round here, either."

Kaguya cradled Mokou's head in her hands. "Wanna do it?" she asked, and Mokou chuckled. "Is my body really that interesting to you?" she asked, cracking her eyes open. The princess looked nice today, especially lit up by the pale glow of the moon, her eyes half-lidded and sultry, sporting a mischievous grin. "Mokotan, it's _always_ been interesting to me," she said, licking her lips. Mokou smiled back. "Ain't eternal damnation a bit late for a love confession?" Kaguya blushed, but didn't avert her gaze.


	18. Safe [Youmu & Patchouli]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youmu braves the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and makes a new friend.

Youmu walked nervously to the wing where the library lay, careful not to make a sound. The gate guard had been jovial about her coming to visit, especially since unlike a certain witch she was _bringing back_ books, but her warnings about not touching anything had put her a little on edge. She edged through the mansion with the books in hand, careful not to go anywhere near the spotless furniture, and careful to stay out of the way of the fairy maids who buzzed around the floor, barking orders to each other or tossing cleaning equipment around.

The library, when she entered, was as huge as Yuyuko-sama had described it, stretching seemingly in all directions, with book shelves as tall as oak trees lined up in racks of a hundred or more. She didn't stand a chance of putting it away by herself, so she'd have to find the librarian. Easier said than done, in a place like this. She didn't even think she could see the ceiling.

As she gazed around, wondering what to do, someone behind her cleared their throat, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, spilling her books all over the ground. "AH! WHO'S THERE!" She whirled round, hand going instinctively to Roukanken. There she saw a tall woman with crimson hair below her shoulders, floating on cute little bat wings, dressed like an office lady in a skirt and waistcoat. She had her hands out in a gesture that said 'calm down'. "There's no need to be frightened. I'm the librarian's assistant, Koakuma. You must be Yuyuko-sama's retainer, Konpaku Youmu-san?" Youmu eased up a bit, going from a drawing stance to standing normally. "Y-Yes, that's me. I'm looking to return to Patchouli-san these books which my master borrowed." Koakuma smiled, and Youmu's eyes were drawn to her wicked-looking fangs. "Of course! Come right this way. Oh, let me help you with those books..."

They descended deeper into the great library, Youmu struggling a little with her books, and avoiding Koakuma's gaze. This place was far too scary. Finally, they came to a desk in the middle of what could only be called a clearing. There sat a woman in a purple gown, with a puffy mob-cap on, and a river of lavender hair that stretched down her back. She had reading glasses in place, and had a thick tome open in front of her, which she seemed to be perusing carefully. Koakuma cleared her throat, and the lady looked up. "Patchouli-sama! Konpaku Youmu-san of Hakugyokurou, Yuyuko-sama's retainer, here to return some books," Koakuma announced. Patchouli gave a wry smile. "At last, someone's actually _returning_ books to my library rather than simply taking them. Koakuma, thank you, you may go," she said. She had a quiet, calming voice, a little scratchy, but with a certain smoothness that set Youmu at ease. Putting a little bookmark into her tome, she closed it, and stood from her desk, approaching Youmu. The gardener was surprised at her size - she was tiny, well under five feet, and took short but graceful steps. "Let me help you with that - you can just lay it on the desk here, I'll have Koakuma or the fairies put it back later." Together, they laid the books down on Patchouli's desk, and Patchouli went through the pile, inventorying them. Youmu was fascinated watching her work - her delicate fingers, like a china doll's, were fast and efficient, noting down the titles of the books in a little ledger she kept on the desk, and tracing over the spines and covers of the books with a gentleness that betrayed her care for the books of her library. When she'd registered each book in the ledger, she turned to Youmu and gave her a little smile. "Thank you so much, Konpaku-san," she said, voice still quiet and peaceful, "it means a lot to me that you were able to return these in such good time." Youmu smiled back. "Oh, it's ok, it's obvious that you really care for these books, and Yuyuko-sama was done reading them. It was the right thing to do. You don't need to be so formal, by the way, just Youmu is fine." Patchouli's smile widened. "You may call me Patchouli," she said. "Would you care for some tea?"

* * *

Spending time speaking quietly to Patchouli, with a cup of steaming hot tea, was doing wonders for Youmu's nerves. The conversation flowed naturally, as it turned out she had a lot in common with the librarian. Before long, they'd finished off the pot of tea between them and were both craving another.

"Ah, thank you for the tea, Patchouli. I must admit, I was scared at first. This mansion, this library, are so much bigger than anywhere I've ever been," Youmu said. Patchouli nodded. "It does have that effect on people. You mustn't worry, though, it's quite safe. The Mistress is an old friend of mine, and as she always says, any friend of mine is a friend of hers." Youmu blushed at the implication, that the sweet librarian considered her a friend after such a short time spent together.

"Where's that useless familiar of mine?" Patchouli muttered, "the teapot is empty and my guest wants more. Koakuma!" She'd barely raised her voice above a whisper, but Koakuma was by her side in a flash. "Yes, Patchouli-sama?" she said. "Koakuma, go and ask Sakuya-san if she has any of those lovely biscuits from the outside world left, and while you're at it, fetch another pot of tea," Patchouli said, and Koakuma bowed, assented, and left. Youmu smiled. "I didn't realise I'd be getting a snack, too!" Patchouli's lovely smile only grew wider. "Anything for a friend!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More like a friendship/queerplatonic dynamic here. My boyfriend suggested this pairing and I couldn't get over the thought of how sweet they'd be as friends. Patchouli is such a lovely girl.


	19. Vanilla [Tewi/Seija]

The amanojaku snarled. "You keep pulling on that, see what happens," she growled. Tewi chuckled. "Oh Seija, but you make it so fun." Tewi was pulling on Seija's little horns, as the amanojaku was swiping at her, trying to grab a hold of her ears. "Come back here you little...!" Finally, Seija pounced, and managed to land on top of Tewi, their bodies flush against the tatami floor. "Hah, gotcha!" Seija cried triumphantly, grabbing hold of Tewi's floppy ears. Tewi let out a loud moan, and a bright red blush spread across Seija's face. She quickly let go and sat back, hands in her lap, her blush not diminishing in the slightest, and Tewi giggled. "Oh, was that a bit intense for you, amanojaku?"

"Shut up," Seija snapped, "no-one is interested in your vanilla bunny fetishes. Ear-pulling is so passé. You're not a real freak." Tewi snickered, sitting up and facing Seija. "You're one-thousand years too early to play games like that with me, young lady. I'm into stuff that'd make that cute blush of yours visible from the moon." Seija shivered with anticipation, but still insisted on trying to hide her feelings.

When had she started coming to Eientei, and why was it always to see this annoying rabbit? She was still a fugitive on the run from Yakumo Yukari and her minions, and coming to such an important landmark was highly risky. Worse, it seemed like Tewi had no interest in ratting her out, but rather seemed to playfully enjoy her company. A dangerous combination that reminded her too much of a princess, a princess other than the lazy NEET that lived at Eientei.

Tewi crept a little closer, her perpetual mischievous grin still well in place. "Oh, all clammed up now? Nothing smart to say? Perhaps this old body of mine is exciting you?" She giggled, reaching out to run her fingers through Seija's three-tone hair. Seija stayed quiet, but leaned into Tewi's gentle brushing. "Oh, ear-pulling is passé, but a few little headpats and you turn into putty, eh?" Tewi said. She sat seiza beside the amanojaku, who dropped her head into the rabbit's lap. "Shut the fuck up and just pet my head," Seija snapped, and Tewi giggled again. "That's what I thought," she whispered, scratching gently before returning to her rhythm of constant soft strokes. Seija shivered in pleasure; the annoying little rabbit knew how to pet someone.

The gentle back and forth of her petting continued, and Seija found herself closing her eyes, even letting out a little sigh of contentment. Tewi, mercifully, chose not to tease her about that, though she did note the spot and rhythm that Seija liked and filed it away to use later. Seija found her eyes struggling to stay open. Oh yeah, how long had it been since she'd had a good night's sleep, especially in the warm, even more with a cute girl? Somewhere in her conscious mind baulked at calling Tewi cute, especially if there was a risk she'd say it out loud, but her entire subconscious was screaming at her to give in, fuck her amanojaku's pride. The unconscious won out, and as she drifted to sleep, she thought she could hear Tewi's voice: "You're so cute."

She was totally going to get her back for that later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More rarepair fun.
> 
> I love Seija, she's such an underappreciated character. Think of her as like a permanent tsundere.


	20. Hate [Mokou/Kaguya]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just want to kickflip into the sunset and disappear

Another grey day overlooking a greyer cityscape. Mokou let out a deep sigh and lit another cigarette. At least up here, legs dangling over the edge between the railings, the wind washed away a little of the cobwebby feeling she had in her head. "I hate this fucking town," she muttered, letting out a near-invisible plume of inhaled smoke. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the concrete, cig still lit in her mouth.

"You know, you're just going to end up coughing if you don't give yourself some time to breath," someone said. Mokou opened one eye, and followed up a pair of pale legs to a short skirt. She could see the wearer's lacy white panties, probably intentional, because it was Kaguya, what passed for a best friend by Mokou's standards. "Afternoon, Kaguya," Mokou said, closing her eyes again. "Aw, don't have anything more to say? Like maybe, 'I can see your panties, you damn otaku princess?'" Mokou took another drag of her cigarette, and shook her head. "I've seen 'em so many times by now it ain't nothin' special any more. And I'm pretty sure by this point you're doing it on purpose."

"Bah, you're no fun," Kaguya said, sitting down next to Mokou. Mokou opened her eyes again to watch her. She took a bluetooth speaker out of her pocket, laid it down next to them. It chirped to let her know it was connected, and some twinkly guitar rock sounded out across the lonely rooftop. "You're really getting into this math-rock emo shit lately, eh?" Mokou asked. Kaguya nodded. "I dunno, I kinda relate to it. You know that american football song?" Mokou took the cig away from her mouth and sang quietly. "'I just think it's best... 'cause you can't miss what you forget...' That one?" Kaguya gave Mokou a melancholy smile. "Hell yeah. That line's pure fuckin' gold." Mokou let out a snort. "Yeah, well, the EP was better than LP1 anyways," she replied derisively, and took another drag.

"Man you're in a real shitty mood today, huh?" Kaguya said, brushing imaginary dust off her seifuku. "Yeah, well, it's a real shitty situation. My damn parents keep gettin' on my case about my shitty grades, and my damn teachers keep kickin' me out of the class because I don't want to listen to them and their phony bullshit. I hate this damn town and everyone in it, they're all a bunch of creeps and posers. You and I are the only real ones around here, the rest of 'em are a buncha plastic people, fuck 'em." Kaguya laughed, and poked Mokou on the cheek, making the younger girl splutter as she nearly dropped her cig. "You know my parents are talking about marrying me off?" Kaguya said, and Mokou sat up, staring over at her. "Marrying you off, like an arranged marriage? Damn, what kinda old-school parents do you have, Princess?"

Kaguya sighed. "The kind that thinks, hey, she's never gonna score herself even a half decent guy, we're just gonna marry her off to some creep who's the heir to a conglomerate. Never mind if he's dumb as shit and a bore to boot, and she hates his guts." She snatched Mokou's cig packet - getting only a curious gaze as protest - and took one for herself. "Got a light?" she asked, and Mokou obliged. "I'm gonna tell 'em I'm gay," Kaguya said, and Mokou giggled. "That so?" she replied. "Well yeah, I've eaten you out enough times that it has to be true by some definition, right?" Mokou turned around, leaning on her elbow. "You give shitty head, Kaguya. If you wanna be a real dyke like me, you'll need to take lessons," she said, mischievous grin on her face. Kaguya snorted angrily. "Fuck off. I hate you," she spat. "That's not what you said Saturday," Mokou teased, and Kaguya blushed and turned away. "Yeah, well, it's not like I'd tell them about you anyways. You'd never agree to be my girlfriend." Mokou chuckled. "Oh, I dunno about that," she said casually, and snickered as Kaguya whirled round. "What? You think I call you Princess just to take the piss out of you? You're pretty enough to be a real one."

Mokou enjoyed having the upper hand over Kaguya for once, turning the older girl into putty in her hands. "You'll be graduating soon, right? They might want to marry you off to this idiot by then. Why not elope with me? I ain't gonna get shit for grades, so you can be the smart one and earn the real dosh." Kaguya stuttered and failed to respond, and Mokou snickered again. She put out her cigarette, and leaning over, cupped Kaguya's cheek in her hand, and laid a little chaste kiss on her lips. She only moved back a little, so that their faces were still close. "What do you say? Ain't it better when we take it slow?"


	21. Wings [Kogasa/Mystia]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise leads to a new friendship, and maybe something more...

"Boo!"

Something jumped out of the flowerpot, and Mystia gave off a high-pitched squeal. "AH!"

She fell to the ground, landing heavily on her butt. "Owwww... Who did that?!" she grumbled, rubbing her bottom. She looked over to the giant flowerpot to see a curious figure poking out.

She had light cyan hair, and matched this with a pretty blue dress and a large, suspicious looking purple umbrella. Her most striking feature was her eyes - one was roughly the same shade as her hair, whereas the other was a striking crimson. She blinked at Mystia, and smiled. "Hehe, you're the first person I've surprised with that one in a while!" She clambered out of the pot and offered her hand. "Sorry for landing you on your butt!" she said, with a little giggle. Mystia puffed out her cheeks in frustration and embarrassment, but took the girl's hand, and was surprised again with the strength she used to lift her to her feet. "I'm Tatara Kogasa! I'm an umbrella youkai! What about you?" Mystia gave her a little glare, but her happy-go-lucky attitude was hard to stay mad at. "Mystia Lorelei. I'm a night sparrow," she replied. "Oh! I've not met a night sparrow before! I guess that explains your pretty wings!" Kogasa smiled again, a bright and beautiful smile, and the combination of the out-of-the-blue compliment paired with such a genuine smile had Mystia blushing.

"W-Well, you shouldn't just scare people out of nowhere, Kogasa. You're lucky I wasn't carrying anything heavy, I could've dropped it and hurt one of us!" Kogasa nodded. "Well, I'm always careful not to try to scare anyone who could get hurt. Maybe I'm too careful, which is why I'm not very good at scaring people... Oh, I should say, I do have to scare people, it's how I eat!"

Mystia raised an eyebrow. "You eat by scaring people? What's wrong with just having a meal like everyone else?" Kogasa averted her gaze, looking a little sheepish. "Well, I don't know how to cook, and I don't have any money to buy food from a stall or a restaurant, so I have to make do..."

Mystia didn't know why, but she was growing a little fond of the strange girl with the umbrella. "Well, you know I run a food stand? I serve grilled lamprey eel," she explained. "It's not far from here, and I was only round here to get cooking oil. You can tag along and taste-test the first batch of the day, if you like." Kogasa gave her another beaming smile. "I'd love that! Lead the way!"

* * *

With Kogasa to help, Mystia was able to fly back to her stand with an extra two containers, due to the umbrella youkai still having a burst of strength left from her 'meal' of scaring the sparrow. It turned out they had something in common in that; Mystia, too, liked scaring humans, though she did it merely for fun.

Soon enough, she had a full grill of lampreys sizzling away on skewers, letting off a delicious smell. Kogasa was almost drooling with anticipation as she watched the sparrow work, and Mystia took incredible pride from her expressions. "What's the matter, umbrella, can't wait to test the best grilled lamprey in Gensokyo?" Mystia boasted, a little swagger in her step. Kogasa's eyes seemed to shine. "It's really the best in all of Gensokyo!?" she said, and Mystia chuckled triumphantly. "Well, I don't like to brag, but let's just say I've been from the Scarlet Mansion through Youkai Mountain and all the way to Hakugyokurou, and I've not ever tasted better. This is real high-class stuff. The humans still line up for it, even though they're deathly afraid of me!" Kogasa grinned, wiping the drool off her chops.

It wasn't long before the lamprey had turned that lovely colour that told Mystia that it was done. She took one off its skewer, the thick meat releasing rivulets of juice onto the paper plate she had ready for it as she laid it down. "Here, this one's on the house," she said, handing the plate to Kogasa. Kogasa wasted no time digging in - and from the sounds of joy, somewhere between gasps and little moans, that she was making, she was enjoying it. Mystia puffed out her chest proudly. "See? I told you they were the best. It's OK to praise me now!" "Dish ish derishish," Kogasa slurred through a mouthful. "Hey, I know I said I wanted praise, but at least swallow first!" Mystia scolded. Kogasa swallowed, and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, ehehe," she said, wiping her mouth off with one of the napkins laid out at the stand, "it's so good, it's delicious, I can't thank you enough!" Mystia grinned. "As expected from my cooking, it's so good you lose all sense of table manners!" Kogasa smiled, and before long she'd polished off the rest of the tasty, meaty fish.

"That was so good, Mystia-chan," Kogasa said, her broad smile infectious. Mystia smiled back. What a cute girl, she wanted to take her home and keep her. An idea formed. "Well, would you like more?" Mystia asked. Kogasa's eyes really did sparkle this time, and she nodded frantically. "I can let you have some more, but I can't just give my product away. I'm running a business here! So, how about you help me behind the grill? If there's two of us, we can serve twice as many customers!" Kogasa nodded, her smile only getting wider. "OK! I can do that! Anything for more of your cooking, Mystia!" She came round the back of the stand, and as Mystia took her through the basics of cooking her signature dish, she couldn't help but think what a lucky coincidence it had been to meet this strange, delightful girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! It's another rarepair!
> 
> This was inspired by a cute image of the two of them I saw on Danbooru. The good thing about Kogasa is that, in fanworks, she's shown up all over the place, so it's relatively easy to find ways she can meet the various other two who's.
> 
> Gotta admit, I'm a bit jealous of Mystia. Where can I find a cute, mischievous youkai gf?!


	22. Shopping [Remilia/Patchouli]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patchouli and Remilia get a new look.

A mall this large was a common sight in the outside world, but for the two inhabitants of Gensokyo it was really something else. Normally, Remilia would have Sakuya go shopping for her, but today Patchouli had suggested that they go together, a fun outing as best friends, the kind they didn't often get an opportunity to do since Patchouli was so busy organising and running the library. Still, it was the daylight, and thus the little vampire had her cute pink parasol by her side.

Remilia shifted her parasol a little. "Patchy, did we have to go during the daytime?" she asked her companion. Patchouli Knowledge, the Unmoving Great Library, nodded. "These places all close down when it gets dark. I looked, but I couldn't find anywhere we could go together at night." Remilia sighed, and held out her hand. Patchouli looked at it dumbly for a second, before Remilia rolled her eyes and just grabbed her friend's hand anyways. "R-Remilia?" Patchouli mumbled. Remilia averted her gaze. "It's scary during the daytime. You know I can't use my powers in direct sunlight. And there's so many people here, too. Protect me." Patchouli smiled slightly, and sidled up a little closer to the vampire.

Before long, they came to a department store, which Patchouli had planned for them to visit today, and made a beeline for the women's department. "So, what kind of clothes are you after, Patchouli?" Remilia asked. The librarian smiled mischievously. "Well, I'm quite good for clothes myself. This store does have some lovely nightdresses though, so I suppose I'll look for some while I'm here. But really, I'm looking more for you. You've been wearing that same dress for a while now, and lovely as it is I'm sure you could do with a change once in a while, right?" Remilia humphed snootily. "This is a perfectly fine dress, I'll have you know. The finest silks money can buy!" Patchouli smiled. "That may be so, but surely you want to try something else on for once?" They came to the petite section, and Patchouli went straight for a rack of dresses. In the artificial light of the store, it was safe for Remilia to lower her parasol, and she did so. "Well, if you can find something that will suit me, I will at least try it on. Only for you, Patchy." She couldn't be sure in the artificial light, but she could've sworn she caught the ghost of a little blush on the librarian's soft features.

* * *

"Patchouli..."

"Yes, ojou-sama~?"

"While I appreciate the clothes you have picked out for me, don't you think this is a bit...?"

"Mmmm~?"

Remilia held up the sheer dress to her body, a blush as scarlet as her namesake on her face. "This is... This is something you wear..."

Patchouli giggled. "Something you wear when you're as beautiful as you, Remilia." Remilia's blush brightened, and she pouted. "You dummy. This is something you wear to impress your... Your l-lover!"

Patchouli's mischievous smile grew wider. "Well, don't keep me waiting, mukyu." Remilia's blush was luminous by now. "P-Patchouli... While I may love you very much..."

Patchouli leaned in and wrapped her arms around Remilia, and the little vampire froze, before relenting, and cuddling up to her in turn. "Remi, I'm sorry for teasing you. I love you too, okay?" "U-Uuu," Remilia mumbled, unable to really form words. Patchouli squeezed her a little. "You're so cute," she murmured, and she smiled at feeling Remilia's hug growing a little tighter. "I-Idiot mage. I should've brought Sakuya, so I could scream for her right now." Patchouli giggled. "I've noticed that if it's Sakuya bothering you, you scream for me instead," she whispered. Remilia's hug grew tighter still, and Patchouli gasped for breath, before Remilia realised she was using her vampire strength and loosened her grip before she hurt the frail librarian. There was a moment of comfortable silence before Remilia spoke again: "Well, it makes sense, right? I always know that my best friend will protect me if something goes wrong."

They hugged for a few more moments, before Patchouli released Remilia, who held on for a few more seconds before stepping back. "You always give the nicest hugs," she murmured, and Patchouli smiled sweetly. "So, did my hug give you a burst of confidence?" she asked, half-joking, and Remilia giggled, lightly slapping her friend's arm. "Believe it or not, it did. I'll put the dress on now. B-But you have to face the other way while I'm changing!"

Patchouli nodded, still smiling, and turned the other way. She heard the pop of buttons, the rustle of Remilia's pink dress falling to the ground, and a softer rustle as she stepped into the sheer fabric, before she cleared her throat. "You can look now," Remilia said, and Patchouli turned. Remilia's little bat wings fluttered behind her, a nervous habit she had, making the fabric of her dress flutter a little. It was sheer white fabric, the kind that is just about translucent, showing a little of the curve of Remilia's body while still leaving just enough to the imagination. Her ivory-white skin was on display, clear as the day, and Patchouli couldn't help reaching out with both hands to caress the curve of Remilia's slight form. Remilia shivered, and let out the tiniest of moans, so quiet that Patchouli could only just hear it. The dress was a little short, only coming just below Remilia's crotch and only just covering her bottom. Patchouli noticed that she was still wearing her frilly bloomers, the most popular women's undergarment in Gensokyo, rather than the western-style bikini panties Patchouli had picked out. Perhaps she was still too shy for that? Either way, Patchouli made her opinions clear.

"You're so beautiful, Remilia," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, so quiet that only Remilia's heightened vampire senses could pick it up. Remilia said nothing, but she cuddled up to Patchouli's chest, and the librarian wrapped her arms around the little vampire, cooing and hushing her. There they stayed for a second, before Remilia finally spoke.

"I'm buying this dress," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another good pairing idea from my bf. The idea of Remilia shopping for lingerie with someone, and the adorable charisma break that'd occur, was too good to miss - and it allows Patchouli to show her mischievous side, too!
> 
> This pairing was the only one that would make much sense here, I think, the Patchy/Remi friendship dynamic, but with the hint of more there. Such an underrated ship!


	23. Gold [Marisa/Reimu]

Reimu tutted and fussed as she ran the brush through Marisa's golden locks. "Hey, cool it will ya," Marisa grumbled at her, "I can brush my own hair." Reimu shook her head, and didn't stop with the brushing. Marisa mumbled something under her breath, but didn't complain any more. Soon enough, Reimu had managed to tame the frizz, and slipping the little green hair tie onto her wrist, she moved her hands to the left of Marisa's face, and started to work on her braid. Marisa couldn't help but let out a content hum as the miko worked - she was impossibly gentle, and it did feel nice to get spoiled once in a while.

"I see you're done complaining," Reimu said cheekily, and Marisa pouted. "Well, I can't say that I don't like not having to do this myself. It's so fiddly to tie my braid." Reimu chuckled as she finally finished braiding Marisa's hair, and affixed the hair tie as a finishing touch. "There, doesn't that look great?" Marisa looked in the mirror, and her little pout soon turned into a small smile. Reimu had indeed done a good job. Her hair, normally curly and wild, was under control for once, and her braid was done perfectly, sitting right on her shoulder in that particular way that let her know it was just right. Reimu noticed her smile, and smiled back, snaking her arms around Marisa. "I'll take that cute little smile as a yes, shall I?" she whispered, laying a gentle kiss on Marisa's head.

The witch mumbled something again, still too quiet and slurred for Reimu to understand it, but her smile didn't go away. They shared a comfortable moment before Marisa spoke again. "Reimu, how do you take care of your hair?"

Reimu shrugged. "Oh, I have Japanese hair, so as long as I brush it and don't let it get dirty, it's fine." Marisa reached up and tweaked one of Reimu's dangling forelocks, making the miko squeak in surprise. "What about these things? Why do you wear it like that?"

Reimu blushed and covered them up. "You don't like them!?" she squeaked, and Marisa quickly raised her hands in submission, shaking her head. "No, no, that's not it, you're just the only person I know who has hair like this, I was wondering about the style." Reimu lowered her hands, but kept stroking at the one Marisa had tweaked, almost like a nervous tic. "It's a Hakurei shrine thing, I think. My mother wore her hair in the same style, and she taught me how to tie it like this, too."

Marisa turned round on the little stool to look at Reimu properly. The miko was still a little nervous-looking, still fiddling with her forelock nervously. It was so rare to see a blushing Reimu, that Marisa felt she had to get her fill here and now. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I was knocking it, Reimu. To be honest with you, I think it looks super cute." Reimu really did start to blush at that. "Y-You really think so?" Marisa smiled, her magic smile that worked so well on everyone she knew, and stood up, cupping Reimu's cheeks in her hands. "Really. I think it suits you. I can't imagine you wearing it any other way." She reached forward with her face, and kissed Reimu on the lips, just a short, chaste kiss, but enough that she felt the softness of Reimu's lips and skin, and got a little taste of the Hakurei miko. Breaking the kiss, she kept her smile trained in on Reimu, who smiled back. "Well, you've seen me with my hair down, right?" she asked. Marisa nodded. "That looks good too, but it'd get in your way while you were working, right? That's why I like braiding mine." Reimu smiled. "I wonder how I'd look with a braid like yours."

Marisa grinned. "Pssh, you'd look great, but not as good as me. This braid is a Kirisame Marisa special, ze!" Reimu giggled. "Oh really? Are you sure I'd not turn into a total ladykiller?" Marisa cleared her throat, and her expression shifted to a mock-sultry one. "Oh, Reimu~" she said, clearly mocking Yukari's voice, "Reimu~ Where did you go? Oh there you AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH MARISA HAS DYED HER HAIR BLACK AND IS PRETENDING TO BE REIMU!" Reimu chuckled, a chuckle that turned into a laugh at her best friend's antics. "You idiot," she said, and Marisa gave her a signature winning smile.


	24. Blessed [Reimu/Sanae]

Clink-clank.

Reimu would recognise that sound anywhere. It was a sound that haunted her dreams, a sound that she would at times kill to hear.

It was the sound of coins falling into the shrine's donation box.

She stood from the kotatsu, grabbed her gohei. "The Hakurei shrine thanks you for your donation!" She intoned, genuinely happy. At that, the person who walked into the shrine was -

Sanae.

Reimu's smile faltered for a second, before she quickly composed herself and smiled all the wider. "Oh, Sanae! How pleasant to see you here. Did you come for a blessing, or just a courtesy visit?"

The green shrine maiden grinned as she invited herself in. "Oh, I don't know, I had some allowance left over and I thought I might throw your little shrine a bone," she said casually, as she sat at the kotatsu. The back-handed remark was not lost on Reimu, but she still kept her dutiful smile for the donor. "Oh, let me get you some tea. I can bless you now, or later." Sanae smiled, and Reimu did have to admit to herself, or her subconscious at least, that she had a nice smile. "Fantastic! I'd love that. You can leave the blessing until after we finish the tea."

As she boiled the kettle in the next room, Reimu resisted the urge to mess with the other shrine maiden some. If she'd come in as a freeloader then Reimu would have messed with her somehow, but she was a donor and something about that made the thought of messing with her go against Reimu's shrine maiden honour. She finished boiling the kettle, and getting the temperature just right for the flavour of green tea, and took the pot and mugs through. Sanae was casually leafing through her wallet when Reimu returned, and she had to be careful not to baulk at how much the other shrine maiden had. She laid down the tea, and Sanae smiled. "Why thank you!" she said, accepting the tea gracefully.

The conversation was pleasant, if a little laced with the shrine rivalry that was underlying in their relationship. Sanae was good company, and Reimu found herself relaxing a little, if not completely.

They soon had finished the pot, and Sanae gave Reimu a little grin. "Now, I'd like to receive my blessing," she said, "but I realise I may have been a little stingy for the type of blessing I have in mind. So, let me just..." she took a fat wad of notes out of her wallet, and Reimu broke out in a cold sweat. That was enough to repair the whole shrine, or pay off a significant chunk of her tab with Rinnosuke. "This would be enough, right?" Sanae asked cheekily. "Not much more than that and you could buy the shrine outright," Reimu said, having lost her cool at the sight of so much money. Sanae smiled, and laying the notes on the table pushed them towards Reimu, who quickly pocketed them. Sanae shuffled round to the other side of the kotatsu, so that she was sitting right next to Reimu, her face getting way too close. Reimu stuttered. "W-What are you doing?"

Sanae grinned cheekily. "My blessing. My kiss, please~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, it's a different Reimu pairing today!
> 
> I'm not the biggest Sanae fan (as you may have guessed with me having the girls refer to her as a Luigi in universe, ehehe) but she can be done well. Mischievous, slightly bitchy shrine maiden rivalry Sanae is my jam.


	25. Split [Reimu/Marisa]

"That was easier than expected," Reimu said, as they watched the youkai responsible for the latest incident go down like a sack of hammers. "Yeah, it was, because of my world famous Master Spark, ze!" Marisa said, victorious and smug tones clear in her voice. "Now there's only one question left... which way to divide the loot!?"

Sure enough, there was a big pile of gold and gems, ill-gotten gains from the latest would-be conqueror of Gensokyo. The red-white and black-white came to the horde, and sized it up.

"That's a big stack. Let's say 60/40, to me?" Reimu said. Marisa glared at her. "Oh no you don't. That victory was down to me. I'm takin' the 60, and I'm givin' you the 40 just because you're cute." Reimu turned on Marisa. "Oh come now, you may have dealt the finishing blow, but I did the lion's share of the work," she said smugly. "Yeah?! Well, I was there to provide moral support the whole way through! It's only fair I should get a good cut!"

Reimu advanced, her face close to Marisa's. "And you live in a lovely cottage in the woods, and I live in a tumbledown shrine on the border! It's only fair that some should be assigned for much needed repairs to the Hakurei shrine!" Marisa stood her ground, advancing in turn, and their faces were almost touching. "Yeah?! Well, this is my day job! You can solicit for donations as a shrine maiden, but I live and die off loot from incidents! How am I gonna keep up with the payments on my cottage if not for a decent share of the loot!?"

Reimu advanced again, and their faces really were touching now, gently on the nose and forehead. "Well, if that's the case, maybe you should get a second job!" she said, and Marisa snorted, jabbing Reimu in the chest with a pointing, accusatory finger. "Oh yeah!? And who the hell'd hire a kleptomaniac like me!?" Reimu grabbed Marisa by the shoulders. "Maybe someone who you were always visiting anyways! Someone who could afford to have you come by for a visit, and for whom you could do some minor chores and such to pay your way!" Marisa growled. "And who the heck would that be!?"

By way of response, Reimu closed what little difference remained, her lips meeting Marisa's in a sudden kiss. Marisa's eyes widened, before fluttering closed, and she returned the kiss with an equal and opposite passion. After a brief moment, they parted, and Reimu gave Marisa a cheeky little grin. "Me, you dummy," she said, and Marisa's blush was the only response she needed. "Now, how about we forget this argument and just split it 50/50, and you come round for tea?"

Marisa nodded. "T-That works," she stuttered, and Reimu gave her a knowing smile.

Another incident solved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what passes for a fight between these nerds.


	26. Comfort [Mokou/Kaguya]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaguya isn't her usual self, but that isn't going to stop Mokou.

"Kaguya!" Mokou called, as she emerged from the dense bamboo to the back of Eientei. "I've come to play!" she continued, but got no response.

Normally the princess would be waiting back here, at the little veranda out back, enjoying the sunshine, and would be all too happy to jump into battle whenever Mokou arrived. However, today there was nothing back here but the chirping cicadas and an empty balcony.

"Princess!" Mokou called, looking around. The door that lead indoors was slid shut, too. That was curious. Even if she was inside, she'd prefer to have a little draught blowing into her room, especially in this heat.

Mokou fanned her top, and approached the sliding door. "Come on, we both know sneak attacks ain't no fun. Why not come out here, I gotta nice fresh fireball with your name on it..." Still nothing. "Damn, maybe she's out," Mokou muttered, and she slid the sliding door open just to check.

Kaguya's room was messy as always. The same shitty computer from the outside world sat on her vanity set, along with a TV and a Super Famicom. The futon in the middle of the bed had a lump in it, and Mokou grinned. _This NEET princess is sleeping, even at this hour? Haha, I know sleep attacks are lame, but I think I'm gonna mess with her anyways._ She approached carefully, sneaking and masking the sound of her footsteps.

The princess grumbled, and rolled over. Mokou's sneak attack was foiled - her eyes were open. "Crap," Mokou said, "morning, Princess." Kaguya gazed up at her. There was something wrong. Her normally mischievous, almost smug grin was gone, and her eyes didn't hold the usual sparkle of mirth, instead looking tired and almost glazed-over. "Mokou," she grumbled, by way of greeting. Mokou knelt alongside her. "Jeeze, Kaguya, you look like shit. Rough night?" The princess shook her head. "The moon," she said quietly, gazing up at Mokou, "I miss the moon."

Mokou shrugged. "Well, it ain't going anywhere. If you don't wanna fight, we can hang out for a bit and go moon-viewing later. It's a full moon tonight, right?" Kaguya shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I miss the moon, I miss my home, I miss my palace and my servants."

Mokou's expression softened, and she patted Kaguya on the head. "Jeeze, it looks like that really got to you. Is homesickness that bad?" Kaguya nodded, and Mokou let out a 'pssh', before switching her patting out for gentle strokes of Kaguya's long, soft hair. Kaguya hummed pleasantly, leaning into Mokou's hand as she petted the princess, and a little hint of a smile appeared. "Mokou... Not that I'm complaining, but why are you being nice?"

Mokou shrugged. "Well, it ain't really fun wiping the smug expression off your face if there ain't one there, is it? So, I figure the best thing to do would be to cheer you up." Kaguya smiled, and closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recycling a little from an earlier Youmu/Reisen idea. idk, I feel like if you left your home in less-than-voluntary circumstances you'd probably get homesick from time to time, even if you were as blase as Kaguya.
> 
> Plus Mokou is normally so abrasive, I think a caring Mokotan is good once in a while, right~?


	27. Space [Kaguya/Mokou]

It was a cold December night, the kind of night where anyone with any sense was wrapped up warm in bed, and hopefully asleep by this time. Out here in the middle of nowhere, the bitter cold was apparent, the crispness of the air against one's face actually stinging, and the darkness enveloped everything. The only light on a night like tonight, a new moon, was from the stars - and what stars they were, as the pitch black of Gensokyo gave way to the Milky Way far above, each pinprick of light an infinity away, the sea of shimmering white and purple gazing down at the pale blue dot.

As always, a view like this made Mokou contemplate infinity, and her part in that infinity. Would she one day visit those distant stars, see a foreign sun set over a world other than her own? They said that space was vast, infinite, even, but for an immortal, those stars could be close enough for her to see them some day.

She heard quiet footsteps behind her, and someone sat. "Wow, Mokotan, you're almost cute when you're quiet," they said, and Mokou would recognise that hikki princess' voice anywhere. "Why don't we find out if it's the same for you, Kaguya? Shut your mouth." Kaguya only giggled at Mokou's harsh tone. "Aw, don't be like that. I know you could use some company." She looked up at the breathtaking sight of her home galaxy, and sighed contentedly. Mokou decided arguing with Kaguya would ruin her stargazing, and so she kept quiet, just continuing to look up at the majesty of space.

There they stayed for some time, neither wanting to ruin the comfortable atmosphere they'd created. At some point, Kaguya's hand crept over, and she took Mokou's in her own. Mokou rolled her eyes, but didn't draw away - instead, she gave Kaguya's hand a little squeeze, and stayed quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice short one for the penultimate day... because I've got a longer one for tomorrow :D


	28. Princess [Multi]

"Hey, Reimu..." "Mmm?" "You ever think about how we've never come up with pet names for each other?" Reimu shrugged. "I guess we're not that kind of couple. Wouldn't you start to worry if I came up to you one day like," - she made mocking kissy faces at her girlfriend - "oh Ma-cha, my sweetums, my widdle cupcake, come give me a kissy-wissy!" Marisa chuckled, giving Reimu a light shove. "OK, I only said pet names, I didn't say we had to act weird about it!" She pounced on Reimu, taking them both down to the tatami in a hug. "But wouldn't you like it if I called you, I dunno... Princess?"

Reimu blushed. "You ladykiller. You had that planned from the start, didn't you?" Marisa stuck out her tongue. "Well, duh. I know how to put the moves on a girl," she said with a wink. Suddenly, Reimu kicked off the ground, rolling them over, so that now she was on top of the witch. "And 'princess', really? I don't think that fits for me. If there's any princess out of the two of us, it's you, Princess Kirisame." Marisa blushed, not used to losing the upper hand so quickly.

"W-What do you mean, Reimu?" she asked coyly, and Reimu smiled, planting a little kiss on her girlfriend's nose. "Oh I don't know, maybe the way you're always hanging around here, wanting me to wait on your needs. Don't worry, I'll bring you tea every day, my pretty princess~" Marisa's blush brightened. "Aw, jeeze Reimu, am I that bad?" Reimu chuckled. "No, I'm teasing you. But I am gonna call you princess from now on, if you keep on blushing so sweetly whenever I do it."

* * *

"Hey, Princess," Mokou said by way of greeting. Kaguya opened her eyes to see her best friend, signature cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth. "Yo," the heiress replied, as Mokou sat down on the ground besides her, leaning against the wall. "Wanna skip afternoon classes?" Mokou asked. "My parents are out right now, and I just got the new Smash, if you wanna come round." Kaguya nodded. "That sounds good. I only have biology this afternoon, and I'd rather find out about _your_ anatomy, if you know what I mean." Mokou chuckled. "So what you're saying is, you find me more appealing than a dead frog." Kaguya held out her hand, and Mokou put her lighter in it, waited for the click of her friend lighting one of her own, and then took it back. "Only marginally," Kaguya continued, and Mokou chuckled again. "Aw, you wound me, Princess~" she said in a sing-song voice, slapping Kaguya on the arm.

Kaguya chuckled. "Why do you call me that, anyways? My family aren't even nobility, just a couple of yuppies with big dreams. Not that different from yours." Mokou shrugged, and blew a cloud of cigarette smoke. "Started out as a way to fuck with you, but even though you seemed to get bored of reacting to it, I still felt it fit, so it stuck, really." Kaguya took a drag of her own cig, and looked over curiously. "Does it really fit me?" she asked, meeting Mokou's gaze as her friend turned to look at her. "Well yeah. You have a classier air than me. You're more of a lipstick lesbian than a tomboy like me, and when you ain't smoking, people always say you have a ladylike air. And you ever notice people bow and scrape to ya, like a real princess? S'kinda hot. You ask nicely, I'll treat you like one." As if realising that what she had just said was a little embarrassing, she suddenly clammed up and turned away from Kaguya's gaze, looking a little flushed.

Kaguya never missed a chance to mess with Mokou. "Ooooh~ Mokotan~ That sounds an awful lot like you're feeling subby~" she said, waggling her fingers. "Hey, no, shut it!" Mokou complained, turning away. Kaguya took the cig out of her mouth and tossed it aside, before putting her hands on Mokou's shoulders. "Are you sure~? You can do all sorts of naughty things with me. It's OK if you call me 'your highness', you know!" Upon hearing that, Mokou visibly shivered with anticipation, and Kaguya giggled, knowing she had won.

"Well," Mokou said, her voice low, as if she was still embarrassed. "What are we doing hanging around here for? Let's get the fuck out of here."

* * *

"Princess~!"

Seija glared. "Watch it, rabbit. Calling me that is a good way to ensure I'll kick your head in some day."

Tewi giggled, coming to the amanojaku's side. "Oh, but doesn't it fit? You're sure prettier than our Princess." Seija blushed, and turned away. "Yeah right. Nah, it doesn't fit at all. I'm a lowly amanojaku, I ain't a princess of anything," she said, before turning back to Tewi, a cheeky little grin on her face. "But as for you, you're kinda a princess, aintcha?" Tewi cocked her head curiously. "How do you figure?" Seija's mischievous smile only widened. "Well, you're actually a leader, for one. You lead the earth rabbits, and you're the custodian of the bamboo forest, right? And ain't it that the moon people only live around here because you allow it?"

Tewi shrugged. "Kind of. I'm too fond of them to ever kick them out, though." Suddenly, a mischievous look of her own spread across her face. Seija faltered. It never paid to be Tewi's target when she got a grin like that. "You know, I lead the rabbits already... and I'm nobody's heir. That makes me something more than a princess... a queen!"

Seija snorted out a laugh, and mocked a curtsy. "Oh, your majesty, I didn't realise. Please forgive my crude mannerisms!" Tewi snickered, and suddenly grabbed Seija's hand. "That means I could make you a princess, you know. How does that sound? Princess Seija of the Bamboo Forest? A real lady, for sure!"

Seija averted her gaze again, her blush deepening. "Y-Yeah right, ahaha, what a load of crap, there's no way I'd ever want something like that!" she snarled, unable to meet Tewi's eye for some reason. Tewi giggled, and lifted Seija's hand to her lips, laid a little kiss on it. "I didn't tell you how I'd do it yet. I could make you a princess by marrying you."

Seija spluttered. "M-Marrying me!? You wouldn't want to do that, surely..." She sneaked a glance at the rabbit, and was surprised to see a serious expression on her face. "Why not? It'd be mutually beneficial. As a dignitary of my kingdom, you'd be protected from Yukari by yours truly, and she doesn't scare me. You'd live in peace in the forest with me, able to sleep in a warm bed every night, never having to worry about where the next meal came from."

Seija mumbled under her breath, not wanting to admit to the bunny that it did sound pretty nice, before speaking more clearly: "Well, that's all well and good, but what's in it for you?" Tewi's mischievous grin returned, and Seija broke out in a cold sweat. _Here's the rub..._

"I get to tease you every day. To see your lovely blush every time I looked beside me. And to know that you felt safe, even if you weren't honest about it on the surface."

Seija didn't have a clever reply to that, so she settled with just looking away again, knowing that Tewi was still smiling earnestly at her, and worse, knowing that there was a part of her that was seriously considering it.

* * *

The library was quiet and still; they'd not had visitors for some time, besides the Mistress, Remilia. Said mistress was currently sat at Patchouli's desk, watching the librarian curiously as she worked. Patchouli sighed. "Remi, is there something you need?" she asked. Remilia smiled at her, glad that the librarian seemed to have noticed her at last. "Attention," she said, sticking out her tongue petulantly. Patchouli snickered and closed the tome she was working from. "And you came all the way to the library, to get attention from me?" she asked. Tutting, she stood and came round to the other side of the desk, giving her better access to Remilia. "Isn't it early in the morning? I'm sure you should be heading to bed. Should I call Sakuya?" Remilia let out a dismissive noise. "Pssh. Nah, I'm the mistress of this mansion, I'll go to bed whenever I feel like it. Right now I'm not tired, I want to bother my best friend, instead." With that, she leaned forward and captured Patchouli in a hug. "Mukyu!" Patchouli said, startled.

It didn't take too long before she regained her composure and returned Remilia's hug, however. "Jeeze, what are we going to do with you, Mistress?" Remilia smiled as she nestled into her best friend's arms. "Mistress is so passe. From now on you should call me... Princess Scarlet!" Patchouli chuckled. "Oh, you're a princess now, are you? Which prince did you marry while I was buried in my books?" Remilia squeezed Patchouli a little tighter. "Well, I don't want to marry a prince. I want to marry another princess." Patchouli chuckled again, playing along with Remilia's silliness. "Oh my, and just where will you find another princess who's interested in princesses, eh?" Remilia giggled, and pointed at Patchouli. "Right here!" she said. Patchouli was taken off guard again. "Mukyu!"

But she couldn't say she hated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Femslash February is over! There've been times when I was ahead, and times when I was behind, but after all, I had a lot of fun and wrote some really lovely oneshots that I'm proud of. Thank you to everyone in /r/fanfiction, but especially Time Thief, whose lovely comments have kept me going through this long-short month, and my sprinting pals, Jeff, Spy, Ae, and Paunchy!
> 
> Here's to plenty more femslash in the future ₍₍ (ง ˙ω˙)ว ⁾⁾


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